59 Year Old Male - Do I Need Surgery to Remove Diastasis Recti in Order to Lift Weights?

A six inch diastasis recti is huge, and usually indicates the patient has had massive weight loss.  More often than not with a large diastasis recti such as that, there are ventral hernias or significant weakness of the abdominal wall that could theoretically limit strenuous exercise.

I would definitely consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to sort out what is going on and what the recommended exercises restrictions would be for you.

As always, a thorough history and physical examination possibly with a stress test are indicated before starting strenuous exercise at your age.

So in your case, I would want to know more about the etiology of your diastasis. There is no question that any repair could be affected by increasing intra abdominal pressure, however there are options to mitigate this potential. I would go see a board certified plastic surgeon. 

Thank you for your questions.  The first step would be to correctly diagnose the bulge as either a rectus diastasis or a hernia.  A large diastasis may make it a bit more difficult to generate intraabdominal pressure to be able to lift heavy weights, but by itself, should not prevent you from lifting weights and exercising.  If it is a hernia, this will limit your ability to work out and can even cause you low back pain.  Repair of a diastasis is considered cosmetic by insurance companies, while most hernia repairs are covered.  Should you wish to have this fixed through a male tummy tuck, you would need to scale back your workouts until you are fully healed, but you should be able to resume all your prior activities, without risk of tearing the repair, at 3-4 months.  Hope this helps. 

I cannot say Ive actually ever heard of a physician telling their patient that repairing a Diastasis isnt necessary in somebody who works out because of recurrence.  A 6cm defect is pretty large and only contributes to a core weakness when trying to use your abdominal muscles.  I would highly suggest you get these repairs using a permanent suture. Good Luck.

It is possible that a diastasis repair could tear, but that is very unusual.  Typically you should be able to resume full exercise following a tummy tuck.

A great majority of my patients work out after I do their tummy tucks with muscle plication.  With a properly healed plication and tight closure, as would be done in your case, the muscles would not pull apart as long as you wait long enough for it to heal.