Some women and a few men, after having a child or after a period of excessive weight gain and loss, have a residual separation of the abdominal muscles called a diastasis recti. During pregnancy or with excessive abdominal weight gain, the extra stretching and pressure in the abdomen can create a separation of the abdominal muscles. Many times this is corrected after pregnancy or after weight loss, however, there are some people who continue to have a separation leading to poor abdominal contraction and poor management of the intra-abdominal pressure leading to more issues.
What do you do about it? Determine if you do have a diastasis or if just have some weakness. Seek out a professional to help you determine if you have a separation. It is not simply about the width, but also about the depth and your ability to create tension across the abdominal wall, so finding an expert will give you the best information.
Once you determine if you have a true diastasis recti, then you can start working with a professional to correct the issue. You will work on breath retraining, regulation your intra-abdominal pressure, and working on building your core strength from the inside out. All of these will help you improve your core strength and move closer to being able to do all the activities you love without extra pressure through you core.
