Can You Heal From Diastasis Completely Without Surgery?
Answer: Most, but not all, women can have recovery of their diastasis without surgery!
Diastasis recti is the separation of the long muscles of the abdomen. The muscles will naturally separate during pregnancy as the uterus expands, stretching and occasionally tearing the tissue (the linea alba) that connects the muscles. Typically the separation lessens within the first 8 weeks after childbirth but for many women the tissue remains stretched.
There are plenty of options for you when it comes to managing your diastasis, including being careful of certain movements so as to not put more pressure through the separation, and doing specific exercises to help strengthen the muscles and bringing them closer together.
There are physiotherapists and exercise professionals with specific training to help manage diastasis recti. They can teach exercises to help strengthen the abdominal muscles, and show you which exercises to avoid. They can also teach you correct techniques for posture, mobility, and lifting to protect yourself from injuries.
As always, make sure to check with a health professional before creating an exercise routine for yourself. Rarely, and generally in extreme cases, some women will have surgery to correct their diastasis.
For more information check out our other great resources about diastasis on our website!