How to Improve Diastasis Recti

The aim is not simply to make a measured gap disappear. Better function includes generating useful tension through the midline, moving without troublesome bulging or pain, and returning safely to daily tasks and exercise.

Diastasis recti is widening and thinning of the connective tissue between the paired rectus abdominal muscles. It is common during and after pregnancy as the abdominal wall adapts to stretching and pressure. You may notice a midline ridge when sitting up, reduced trunk support, or difficulty managing loads.

Gap width alone does not show how well the abdominal wall functions. A clinician or physiotherapist may also assess tissue tension, breathing, pelvic-floor coordination, back or pelvic symptoms, and how the abdomen responds during lifting, coughing, and exercise.

Begin with comfortable breathing that allows the ribs and abdomen to expand, then gently coordinate an exhale with effort. Practise controlled movements such as rolling to the side to rise, supported leg movements, sit-to-stand, and light resistance while watching for pain, breath-holding, or uncontrolled midline doming.

Progress difficulty only when you can maintain breathing and abdominal control. Exercises such as planks or curls are not automatically forbidden; their suitability depends on your current capacity and response. Postnatal physiotherapy can tailor loading, check pelvic-floor symptoms, and help plan a return to lifting, running, or sport.

Arrange an assessment if the separation is accompanied by persistent abdominal, back, or pelvic pain; urinary or bowel leakage; pelvic heaviness; difficulty with ordinary lifting; or uncertainty about exercise progression. A localised bulge that is painful or does not behave like a broad midline ridge may need evaluation for a hernia.

Seek urgent care for a suddenly painful firm bulge with vomiting, a swollen abdomen, inability to pass stool or gas, or rapidly worsening pain. Those features are not routine signs of diastasis recti.

Ask how your abdominal wall manages pressure, whether a hernia or pelvic-floor issue is present, and which movements match your current strength. Clarify how to judge a useful challenge, what signs mean an exercise should be modified, and how your programme will progress toward the activities that matter to you.