Dr. Kavita Pujar, Senior Consultant – Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Kinder Women’s Hospital and Fertility Centre, Bengaluru
Want to head to the gym to flatten out that rounded postpartum pooch? Starting another relentless regime of crunches may not be the answer. Instead, take a moment to understand if you have diastasis recti, an abdominal condition that makes your tummy still look round with a gap between the wall muscles between the right and left side months and years after giving birth. Diastasis recti is caused due to pregnancy hormones and the expanding uterus where the weight of the fetus is pushed downward to the pelvis.
Traditional exercises to get a six-pack are not going to give you the benefit you are looking for and may end up making your condition worse. Skip any exercise that puts strain on the tummy to protrude outwards, avoid heavy lifting exercises which need you to twist your spine or spinal extension movements. These can increase stress on your abdominal tissues.
There are few therapeutic exercises that can be performed to rectify diastasis recti, build better core muscles, and strengthen abdominal muscles. Listed below are five different exercises that you can try at home:
- Pelvic Brace – Lie on your back. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Bend your knees. Create a triangle with your hands by keeping them on the hips. Exhale and contract your pelvis muscle from the back to the front. While doing so, create tension in your lower abdominal muscles and hold for about 3-5 seconds. Repeat 15 times for at least once or twice a day.
- Closing the Gap – while lying on your back, bend your knees and keep your feet flat. Take a towel and wrap around your waist, crossing it on the front side. Hold the towels with your hands with your palms facing you, exhale while squeeze the towel. Lift your head as much as you can while pressing your lower back on the floor and tucking your hips. Exhale during the process. Inhale while you release your lower back and keeping your head back. Repeat this for 10 to 20 times, for at least twice a day.
- Chair position – Lie on your back. Keep your calves on a chair with your hips and knees positioned at 90-deree angle. Get your pelvis to a neutral position. Inhale and get ready to move your calves. Exhale while you lift your calves and create tension in your abdominal muscles, similar to pelvic brace exercise. Hold for 10 seconds. Remember not to create any bulge outward with your abdomen while doing this exercise. Repeat this for one to four times a week.
- Toe Dips – Lie on your back with your knees bent and arms by the side. Lift your legs and keep in chair position without any chair. Inhale. Next, while you exhale, lift your head using your shoulder blades or not, and hold the position. Now, gradually dip your right leg tow down while bending it. Bring it back to the chair position while inhaling again. Repeat the process with left leg.
- Bird Dog – Position yourself on your hands and knees, keeping your spine on neutral position. Inhale. Now, exhale and lift right leg and left arm while maintain pelvic brace and keeping spine neutral. Inhale and release your arm and leg to bring them back on ground. Exhale and repeat with the other leg and arm. Repeat this for 10-15 times on each side.
Remember to follow correct breathing techniques and exhale properly while exercising. This will help avoid creating any compression in the abdominal cavity. Before you start your exercise regime to treat diastasis recti, consult your treating doctor to understand if your body is ready to start exercising. It is generally recommended to wait for at least six weeks after pregnancy to start anything new.
