What type of Dr. should I see to diagnose if I need diastasis recti repair?

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Hi.  Making the diagnosis of rectus diastasis is something that is completely routine for a board-certified plastic surgeon.  You don't need to go to another physician.Go back to your plastic surgeon, and ask him to show you by physical exam, about your diastasis.  You can often feel the gap yourself, if you feel the midline of your abdomen while you are starting a sit-up, with muscles tightened and contracted.  You'll feel a muscle on one side of the abdomen, the gap that's not supposed to be present (the diastasis), then the other tensed muscle.  It's usually easiest to feel above and below the umbilicus.Hope that helps!

   Plastic surgeons repair diastasis all of the time, and your plastic surgeon should be able to evaluate this.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

No need to be scared. Your plastic surgeon should be able to tell you if you indeed need a diastasis recti repair. Most women after multiple pregnancies need one. I have found that placement of Marlex mesh on top of your muscles reinforces your abdominal wall and therefore gives your repair added strength- much like an 'internal girdle' that singes your waistline and acts as a weight control device. Kind regards, Gary Horndeski M.D.

A diastasis recti is what we call a widening of the space between the two rectus muscles.   This normally occurs after pregnancy or after a large weight gain, or anything that increases pressure on the abdominal wall.  Severe cases are easily seen when doing a situp--if a football shaped bulge occurs when you are doing a situp, this is evidence of a "rectus diastasis"  or "diastasis recti".  If it gets very weak, general surgeons often treat this as a hernia, but an abdominoplasty with repair of this (usually a "plication" or "pleating") of this weak tissue is an adequate repair.For many people with a wide diastasis (wide space between the rectus muscles), there is often functional impairment of the abdominal wall, meaning that it doesn't work as well, and the back muscles have to do more work to help hold you up straight, hence the back pain.  Doing exercises to strengthen the core muscles can often help this, but depending on the severity, may not totally relieve this back pain.  Yoga and Pilates are great exercises to help alleviate the symptoms and strengthen all of the muscles of your torso.

Almost all women that have had children have some element of rectus diastasis or spreading apart of the rectus abdominal muscles from the midline. Sometimes the residual muscle separation is minimal and for others it is quite significant. I do not know of any studies that suggest that a diastasis, even when severe, is of true medical concern and NEEDS to be corrected. Most insurance companies would argue against a diastasis rectus constituting medical necessity for repair. With that said, I have had a few patients that reported that after their abdominoplasty surgery back pain had improved. I would not want a patient to go through the operation of a tummy tuck with the sole purpose of trying to improve back pain as there is no guarantee that rectus plication improves back pain symptoms. If you are interested in a tummy tuck to improve the shape and appearance of your abdomen, that's great. If your back pain improves, even better. But don't be surprised if your back pain does not improve after a tummy tuck surgery. As for a diagnosis, most surgeons will make note of the severity of a diastasis during the physical exam. The severity of the diastasis is not really that important, because regardless of the severity, it should be completely fixed during the abdominoplasty procedure. The exam is really more important to determine if there is a more problematic abdominal wall hernia. This can be done by your plastic surgeon, general surgeon, and even your primary care provider. If there is a concern for a hernia, it probably should be characterized with a CT scan prior to surgery, unless it is quite small or just around the umbilicus.

Your diastasis can be readily diagnosed by a plastic surgeon. I diastasis is just the spreading of the muscles from the center of your abdomen is not a medical condition that is dangerous or serious. Repair and restoration of your abdominal muscles in the center help improve the contour of your abdomen.  Earl Stephenson, Jr, MD, DDS,FACS

Assuming you are having a tummy tuck as part of your mommy makeover, the diastasis repair would be a routine part of the operation. A diastasis is where the muscles in the front of the abdomen are pushed apart during pregnancy, and they cannot be pulled together with exercise. You should discuss with your plastic surgeon whether he or she plans to do this so you are clear on the plan and the expected recovery. Back pain issues are not necessarily related.

. A mommy makeover generally includes an abdominoplasty.Part of an abdominoplasty is repair of the abdominal wall fascia including diastasis.

It is common to have some degree of anxiety approaching surgery of any type.  Diastases recti is normally repaired during a tummy tuck.  A plastic surgeon would be the best doctor to treat this problem.  Your doctor should be able to feel the separation between the two muscles and give you an idea how big it is.  Repair of the diastases may or