Diastasis Recti: Symptoms, Causes, and How to Check

Diastasis recti, or abdominal separation is a condition where your rectus abdominis muscle is vertically divided. The rectus abdominis is the most prominent abdominal muscle. It covers the front surface of your belly area. Diastasis recti is most common during the late stages of pregnancy. The rectus abdominis is split into two to allow the abdomen to get bigger. Diastasis recti can lead to back pain and should not be ignored. Diastasis recti can be corrected. You can find out if you have diastasis recti by performing a simple self-test.

Instructions

• 1

  Lay down on the floor with your back flat. Bend your knees and make sure your feet are flat on the floor.

• 2

  Place two of your fingers (left or right hand) above your belly button. Take a deep breath in, exhale and lift your shoulders and head off the floor.

• 3

  Feel for a gap above your belly button and measure how many fingers you can put in the gap. It is normal to put one to two fingers in the gap. If you can put more than two fingers in the gap, then you have Diastasis Recti.