Hello, I would like to know if I have Diastasis Recti?

Question

I am 44, never had children. Since i was 15 I am regularly exercising but always had a loose belly, and a chronic back pain with no medical interpretation. Between my 15's and 18's I have worn a gaine. Now I have a PT and my belly is getting less flat, and my waist is getting larger!. I am considering to stop training because I think I have (and always have had) diastasis recti, is my hypothesis possible? ps. my weight is a bit above normal, always has been so, but not overweight. Thank you!

Shirin Towfigh, MD · Answer

Picture would help. Ultrasound or CT scan will confirm a Diastasis. Transversus abdominis exercises can help reduce Diastasis. But won't cure it. Crunches and similar exercises will make a Diastasis worse.

Tariq Ahmad, MBBChir, FRCS(Plast) · Answer

Hello and thank you for this interesting question.

Yes it is possible you have diastasis recti - quite often your plastic surgeon will be able to detect it by simply examining you and palpation; it is more difficult if the thickness of the fat is great.

It can also be definitively detected and the degree of diastasis more accurately determined by a scan such as an MRI scan. All ladies who have had children have this to a greater or lesser degree but I have also seen it in women who have never been pregnant and also in some men.

If you have diastasis recti this cannot be improved by any amount of exercise as it is made of fibrous tissue and cannot be narrowed without surgery; exercise can still help generally as obviously good muscle tone will help you in so many other ways - posture, support for the spine and so on.

I hope that you found this information helpful.

my very best wishes.

Hello, I would like to know if I have Diastasis Recti?

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Hello, I would like to know if I have Diastasis Recti?

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