A flat abdomen due to a variety of physical attributes corrects with new technology. Posture, strength and size of muscles, health of the connective facial tissue, all contribute to abdominal contour. If the long muscles of your abdomen separate the abdominal contents protrude. Women with diastasis condition are uncomfortable, and their abdomen will appear to irregularly bulge. Diastasis Recti (also known as abdominal muscle separation) is the gap between the two large abdominal muscles. A gap of roughly an inch (in some hospitals they say actually 2.7 cm or greater) between the two sides of the rectus abdominis muscle is defined as diastasis and generally visible.
Rectus diastasis is a simple separation, it is NOT A HERNIA.
The internal contents of the abdomen are not at risk to come out or become trapped with diastasis. It is not an emergency medical problem. Small separations are not a medical concern. Larger separations need to be fixed.
Normally the two parts of the rectus muscle are separated by a white line of connective tissue known as the linea alba. The strength of this linea alba tissue, the thickness of it, and any actual gap between the muscles determines it’s effectiveness at both holding in our organs.
At one point in the linea alba it is formed by the fusion of several other layers of the abdomen including the external muscle, the internal oblique muscles and the transverse abdominis fusion point.
Cause of Diastasis in Men vs Women
Pregnancy is a common cause in women. The contributing biomechanical factors, including the fascial quality and stiffness, are being studied but not well understood. During pregnancy there is an increase in inferior thoracic diameter, changes to the lateral abdominal musculature, just to name two changes. The rectus itself changes in many ways. There is a change in the insertion of the rectus in both the coronal and the sagittal planes. The rectus increases by 115% during pregnancy , thus the rectus becomes both thinner and wider, and the sheath around the rectus expands to accommodate those changes.
By the 35th week of pregnancy 100% of women will have rectus diastasis. During pregnancy most women will get a tiny gap that forms, about .5 cm. These gaps that are small don’t cause pregnancy symptoms, and mostly won’t cause symptoms after birth as well. One study measuring childbearing women at 3 weeks after delivery determined gaps of over 1.5 cm cause symptoms.
In men a common cause of rectus diastasis is abdominal obesity. In both, men and women, too much weight loss and resulting sag due to nutritional defects also causes diastasis.
Core Strength To Reduce the Spread
Preemptive exercise can be effective at preventing diastasis. This is very important.: what your program is, and how you work up to that core strength, can make prevention of rectus diastasis much less likely. Weak, thin, aged muscles can cause abdominal wall looseness with or without too much separation between the rectus abdominal muscles themselves. Using Emsculpt technology along with fitness options such as Sculpt and Power Yoga at Hatha Yoga and Fitness can help. Even using the Emsella pelvic floor therapy improves core strength.
Aging and Diastasis Recti
Over the age of 45 the rectus distance increases in the average person, again working on your core as you get older can prevent this natural laxity from happening.
When you go to your physician to be evaluated, you may here some conflicting information. Physician experts argue about how much separation is ‘normal’, some physicians use 2 cm and some 2.7. The muscle is large and at what point to measure is debated. Some don’t measure the specific gap point but just determine if inner organs are protruding through the gap.
Diagonsis And Therapy
The diagnosis is not necessarily complex. A physician examination can determine if you have this condition, and an ultrasound can confirm the condition. Lay down, feel in the midline of your abdomen, can you poke your fingers between the muscles that run vertical along your abdomen? If not, try sitting up. When you do a sit up and have this condition there is a separate bulge between the muscles that can be seen.
Until now various surgeries have been used to the correct the condition. The surgeries are generally very safe and effective.
Now there is a non-invasive way to strengthen your core, specifically the rectus muscles. The Emsculpt technology, performed with electromagnetic current, has been used to correct the muscle gaps. Emsulpt may help some women avoid surgery, and it helps all women strengthen their core. If you want some fat reduction, or reduction of visceral fat, consider Emsculpt Neo. If you also want to reduce your abdominal contour, Coolsculpting can help. Come to Hada Cosmetic Medicine for a consultation to see if this therapy would be appropriate for you
