De-mystifying what "the gap" is all about.
Known medically as diastasis recti, abdominal separation is a condition that affects men and women of all ages. What is abdominal separation? The abdominal muscles have a slip of connective tissue/glue joining them together and we can see this most often in persons with a six-pack when they have a line down the middle. When there is too much pressure, leading to thinning of the connective tissue, this can lead to what is traditionally known as abdominal separation. However, just because there is a gap, doesn’t mean you have the separation. Primarily known as something that can be caused by childbirth, there are common signs and symptoms to be aware of to know if you are experiencing this:
-abdominal bulging in any position or commonly with ab exercises
-weakness in the core
-feeling like it is difficult to lose weight in the middle area
-feeling you have lost weight elsewhere but in the stomach region
-feeling your stomach is bigger end of day versus at the beginning of the day
-feeling you are still pregnant
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists are trained to assess the abdominal muscles for their strength and also assess the gap. Traditionally a two finger width gap or more was a diagnosis for diastasis recti, but we look at this differently these days. The physiotherapist will assess your muscle strength, your ability to contract and tighten the muscles in different positions and what happens to the middle connective tissue area when you are doing a crunch or sit up. Based on this, they would prescribe you exercises to do at home that will help reduce the symptoms you are feeling.
Along with the abdomen, your physiotherapist may also check your back, hips and pelvic floor muscles because this what you core actually consists of! A lot of people think the core = abs but there is MUCH more to this. A full assessment can identify the things that will help you recover faster.
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