What should you know about tummy tuck and diastasis recti repair?

Diastasis recti is a widening and thinning of the connective tissue between the abdominal muscles. It can follow pregnancy and may cause a central ridge or a softer, protruding abdomen when you sit up or strain. A tummy tuck, also called abdominoplasty, is an operation that removes selected excess skin and may include repair of the abdominal wall. The muscle repair is usually performed with stitches in the supporting tissue rather than by joining muscle fibres themselves. It is different from treatment for a hernia, so a surgeon should check for both.

Assessment should include your symptoms, abdominal examination, skin quality, previous operations, future pregnancy plans, and general health. Core-focused rehabilitation may be considered before surgery, particularly when weakness or movement problems are present; postnatal physiotherapy can help guide suitable exercises. If surgery is chosen, ask about anaesthesia, scars, drains, movement limits, wound care, support garments, and how long you may need help at home. Avoid heavy lifting until your surgical team clears it, and follow their advice about walking and exercises.

After surgery, contact your team promptly for increasing redness, warmth, wound separation, pus-like drainage, fever, worsening pain, or one-sided leg swelling. Seek urgent help for sudden breathlessness, chest pain, fainting, or severe abdominal pain. Before choosing surgery, arrange assessment for a painful bulge, vomiting, or a lump that cannot be gently pushed back, because these symptoms can indicate a problem needing prompt review.

Ask whether your bulge is confirmed diastasis recti, whether a hernia is also present, what improvement is realistic, how future pregnancy could affect the repair, and which rehabilitation plan fits your body.