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The journal Postpartum

How To Check For Diastasis Recti

By Dr. Allison Feldt, PT, DPT 1 min read

A Common Postpartum Issue Is Diastasis Recti, or Ab Separation. This is a condition that needs to be addressed to ensure you restore your core therefore it can protect your joints throughout your life

  • Lie on your back and become completely relaxed.
  • Curl your head up off the ground and gently lift your shoulders off the ground. You are going to do so in such a way that you are looking at your belly button. If you see a bulge or tenting you may have a diastasis.
  • Return back to a resting position.
  • Place two fingers right at your belly button and lift your head up again so that your shoulders are hovering off the ground. What you are feeling for is a separation; if you do feel a gap between your muscles, measure them by finger widths. You want to fit no more than two fingers in the gap.
  • Now, place your fingers two inches above your belly button, continuing to feel for gaps. Continue in two-inch increments until you reach your sternum, at the bottom of your chest.
  • Walk your hands back to your belly button and repeat the process, this time moving below your belly button until you hit the pubic bone.
Dr. Allison Feldt, PT, DPT, founder of Body Motion Physical Therapy

About the author

Dr. Allison Feldt, PT, DPT

Allison is a pelvic floor physical therapist and the founder of Body Motion PT in Edmonds. A mom who knows the aftermath of pregnancy and birth firsthand, she's on a mission to help women restore their core and pelvic floor at every stage of life.

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