Stomach Muscle Separation
A stomach muscle separation is when the rectus abdominis muscles separate in the middle. This is also known as a DRAM, (diastasis of the rectus abdominus muscle or diastasis recti). Your rectus abdominus muscles (six pack) run vertically from your rib cage to your pubic bone. They are connected in the middle by connective tissue called the linea alba.
A stomach muscle separation starts during pregnancy but may become most obvious after birth. It’s very common, affecting up to two-thirds of people after childbirth. A small amount of widening is normal, but for some, the muscles separate further and stay separated for weeks after birth. Left untreated, it can cause back pain, injury or poor posture and can impact many aspects of your life. You might worry about how your tummy looks or find yourself feeling too weak or sore to get back to the gym.
We’re here to help you.
Rest assured, you’re not alone – and our highly experienced postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists are here to help. We understand how stomach muscle separation can affect your life and can give you the expert care and genuine support you need to feel confident again.
Stomach muscle separation usually happens after childbirth but may be seen during pregnancy. It’s very common, affecting up to two-thirds of women. Our postgraduate-qualified pelvic health physiotherapists can help treat this condition.
Common signs & symptoms of stomach muscle separation
Although everyone’s different, if you suffer from stomach muscle separation, you’re probably familiar with some of the following:
- Feeling a ‘gap’ between your stomach muscles
- Seeing a ‘tent-like’ peak or dome when you sit up or get up from the floor
- Loose stomach muscles
- Low back pain
- Poor posture
Risk factors & causes of stomach muscle separation
- Pregnancy
- Childbirth
- Hormonal changes
- Large baby or twins
- Large weight gain in pregnancy
- Repetitive heavy lifting
- Constipation and straining
- Connective tissue disorders
Our Proven Pathway for Treating Stomach Muscle Separation
Discover what matters
You’re assessed as a whole person
To begin, we take the time to understand all of you – not just what’s going on physically. So, your postgraduate qualified pelvic health physiotherapist will collect the following information:
- QUESTIONNAIRE: You’ll complete a pelvic health questionnaire online before your first visit. This helps us understand your history, current health concerns and what matters to you.
- 1-on-1 CONSULTATION: Here, we’ll take the time to learn about you, your pregnancy, birth and your stomach muscles . At Pelvic Health Matters, we use a holistic approach that allows us to consider how your thoughts, emotions and lifestyle factors influence things.
- THOROUGH ASSESSMENT: This includes an abdominal muscle, connective tissue and low back assessment, including using real-time ultrasound.
- CONNECTING THE DOTS: Now that we’ve discovered so much about you and your tummy muscles, we can explore how it all fits together. Perhaps you may have been vomiting or had a nasty cough during your pregnancy, and combined with hormonal changes, this may have made your abdominal muscle separation worse. It all depends on your unique story.
- SET GOALS: We’ll help you set meaningful pelvic health goals such as:
- Reduce my tummy gap
- Feel strong and confident enough to lift my baby easily
- Feel confident to wear jeans again
- Return to the gym safely
Restore what matters
You’ll have a personalised pelvic health plan.
This is where we get down to business. Together, we’ll choose the best research-proven treatment options for your lifestyle. You’ll learn how your stomach muscles work and how to improve them. Next, we’ll carefully start abdominal muscle training (at an appropriate level for your stage of recovery). We might also give you a compression garment to wear. These garments provide stability, support and comfort for your tummy muscles as they recover.
We’ll give you helpful advice about activity modification as well as expert tips on how to return to general exercise. Plus, you’ll receive excellent resources and tools that will help you with your progress. All in all, you’ll be supported in just about every way possible!
ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENTS: Together, we’ll work out how often we should see each other. We’ll agree on what works best for you, your commitments and your finances.
Enjoy what matters
You’ll be living your best life.
The final step is about ensuring you achieve all the fantastic goals you set at the beginning of your journey. You might also find you can embrace new possibilities that you hadn’t considered, such as returning to the gym – or taking your baby to swimming lessons.
Sometimes, though, life’s endless adventures might mean you need to return for a reset. Perhaps you’d like to visit if you fall pregnant again. Whatever the case, we’ll always be here to help you.
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Pelvic Health Matters
New name.
Same exceptional care.
Formerly known as Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy, our new name reflects both what we believe in and what we do. We have an unwavering belief that pelvic health matters for everyone, at every stage of life.
Same phone number: 03 8823 8300
New email: physio@pelvichealth.com.au