How to check if your tummy muscles have separated causing a diastasis to the recti abdominal muscle (DRA/DRAM) commonly seen after child birth and pregnancy. Luckily it is pretty easy to check for diastasis recti. The purpose is basically to see how wide the gap between your muscles is and how deep. The deeper your fingers will go the weaker the connective tissue.
If any separation is found, avoid further separation by:
• Doing mild abdominal strengthening while crossing your hands over your abdominal area to support and bring the muscles together.
• Exhale as you lift your head; this decreases pressure in your abdomen and allows your abdominal muscles to work more efficiently.
• Avoid abdominal bulging by consciously contracting your abdominal muscle when lifting and avoid straining of any kind.
What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti (also known as abdominal separation) is a disorder defined as a separation of the rectus abdomonis muscle into right and left halves. Essentially your abdominal muscles become separated. This happens most often in infants and pregnant women.
In pregnant women diastasis recti is caused by the growing uterus pushing against these muscles and separating them. Hormones during pregnancy can also cause the connective tissue that holds these muscles together to weaken aggravating the problem even more.
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