THE

Diastasis Recti
REPAIR HANDBOOK
by Lauren Ohayon

restoreyourcore.com
What is Diastasis Recti?
One of the main elements to healing a diastasis recti is knowing how to engage your
core properly during a move. Most of us have been trained to just suck the abs in or
to tighten them during an exercise. When I assess many women with diastasis and
they show me their technique, it actually usually increases intra abdominal pressure
and not decreases it! Before doing any exercise for diastasis, it is very important to
ensure a good strategy.

Normal / No Diastasis Open Diastasis Open Below Open Above

Navel Diastasis Navel Diastasis

What causes Diastasis Recti?

While there are no conclusive studies to say with 100 percent certainty, it is widely
thought that Diastasis Recti is an imbalance in the pressure system of the abdominal
cavity which causes the connective tissue (linea alba) running down the centerline
from the base of the rib cage to the pubic symphysis (bone) to overstretch and the
muscles known as the Rectus Abdominis (6 pack) to separate.

Our bodies are designed to withstand loads but if we have a lot of tension in our
abdominals, muscles that are over toned, muscles that are under used, and extra
pressure exerted from non-optimal breathing patterns, then our body cannot
withstand those loads effectively.

These occurrences happen from non-optimal breathing patterns, imbalanced

muscles, and repetitive movement patterns that are not balanced.

resto reyourcore.com
What are the Symptoms?
The most common symptom of diastasis recti is a “pooch” or bulge in your stomach,
especially when you strain or contract your abdominal muscles. Feeling like your core
never recovered postpartum is a common complaint. Additional symptoms include:
• Lower back pain
• Poor posture
• Constipation
• Bloating

COMMON Diastasis Recti Myths

1 FAT VS FL AT

Essentially, one can be incredibly thin, have a flat belly and still have diastasis recti.
There seems to be a common desire to correlate a diastasis with a bigger belly
but that is simply not the case. Abdominal fat or lack thereof has nothing to do with
whether the abdominals are separated or not. It is important to note that when a diastasis
is present, the midsection can indeed by more soft, less toned and overall feel more weak
and sometimes that does go hand in hand with more abdominal fat but it is not a rule by
any means. This also means that the efforts we make to lose weight should not be the
efforts we make to close a diastasis. Oftentimes, intense cardio and toning workouts that
indeed would enable one to slim down, can make a diastasis recti even worse!

restoreyourcore.com
 2 JUST ENGAGE YOUR CORE AND ALL WILL BE OK

Not all core engagement is created equal. We have 4 layers of ab muscles and some
types of core engagement will be great for a diastasis and others will make it worse!
Pulling your belly button toward your spine, despite what you may have heard is not
always the answer to healing a compromised core. In fact, holding tension in your abs
all day and constantly pulling your abs in can actually make a diastasis much much
worse! Learning the correct technique to core engagement is of utmost importance
when healing a diastasis. I offer many free resources teaching the optimal technique
so be sure to see the free resource links below to learn how to engage optimally.

3 CRUNCHES AND PLANKS ARE BAD FOR YOU

Actually statements like that are really problematic. Crunches and planks are not all evil
all the time. There is a time and place for practicing them and knowing when is the
key. If you are newer to core healing and just starting your journey, then crunches are
not ideal. Planks actually can be done but only with a really good core engagement
technique (*See the free resource links below for more). Once your core is on
the path to healing, you have a good engagement strategy and you know how to
maintain alignment and form, crunches (small and low ones) can actually be the next
step in bridging your workouts from being more rehab focussed to one that is more
dynamic, challenging and offers more strength training.

4 SURGERY IS THE ONLY SOLUTION

For some women, yes. For many many others, not at all. Surgery is indicated when
the diastasis is very deep and wide and rehab is not working. I always recommend
that people spend at least one year in rehab before deciding. That being said,
thousands of women worldwide have healed their diastasis recti without the need
for any surgery.

resto reyourcore.com
Test for Diastasis Recti
1. Lie on your back with your knees
bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Put one hand behind your head
for support and place your fingers in
a horizontal position across your belly
button.
3. As you exhale lift your head
and shoulders just a bit off the floor.
You should feel your abdominal muscles
close around your fingers. If you feel a
gap – then you have a Diastasis Recti.
resto reyourcore.com
4. Be sure to feel above and below
your bell y button too as a Diastasis
Recti can be isolated in any of those
places.
5. Diastasis Recti is measured in
finger widths . A 1-2 finger shallow
gap or less can be considered functional
though you still need to take heed with
your activities as the gap can widen with
certain activities.
* Make sure to visit our How To Test
Diastasis Recti video link below.
Diastasis Recti Exercises
Effective core training (*see resources list at the end of PDF for free workouts) is the
key if you’re dealing with Diastasis Recti. I wish I had an instant solution for addressing
Diastasis Recti, but unfortunately I do not. Having a functional core is a process that
involves many components including alignment, breathing mechanics and finally, the
right way to train using exercise. The whole goal of the training should be to get our body
to react and respond appropriately to our movements and activities. (The Restore Your
Core™ program is based on this approach.)

Here are a few effective core training fundamentals that you can put to use today:
1. Ensure you are not a belly breather. Belly breathing causes a lot of intra abdominal
pressure and that can lead to a diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction.

2. Work on your posture and body alignment as both can compromise your core.
3. Stop sucking in your belly all day because that only causes a lot of core tension.

resto reyourcore.com
Engage Your Core Optimall y
One of the main elements to healing a diastasis recti is knowing how to engage your
core properly during a move (*see resources list at the end of PDF for free videos
how to engage properly). Most of us have been trained to just suck the abs in or to
tighten them during an exercise. When I assess many women with diastasis and they
show me their technique, it actually usually increases intra abdominal pressure and
not decreases it! Before doing any exercise for diastasis, it is very important to ensure
a good strategy.

Heal Your Diastasis Checklist!

Follow these simple steps to ensure you are on the right path to healing your core.

1 Even though your goal might be a flat belly, start with having a functional core.
Once your core is functional, then you can add more load, weights, and complex
exercises to tone up and flatten your belly. If you have a core injury like diastasis
recti, you want to be very careful not to add more injury by pushing hard on the
ab flattening front. Remember: a flat belly might be a look you desire but flat and
function are NOT synonymous.

2 Work on your overall alignment: a huge back arch, hips thrusting forward and
tense abdominals can really hinder core strength.

3 To get the most benefit, be sure that you are not bulging, bracing, or bearing
down while exercising. These 3 common cheats can worsen a diastasis recti. There are
many exercises that put a ton of pressure on your core and pelvic floor and should
be avoided. Like lying supine and lifting and lowering both legs together, like Russian
twists done poorly, like full sit ups and many crunches.

4 Your breathing matters! Belly breathing puts a ton of strain and pressure on the
core system so ensure that you are not stuck in that pattern.

( *see resources list on next page for free guides and workouts.)

resto reyourcore.com
Free Resource Library

Diastasis Recti and Breathing 4

Master Your Mamma Pooch: 5 Exercises for Diastasis Recti 4

5 Core Exercises Post Cesarean Birth 4

How do I wake up my core postpartum or after a c-section? 4

resto reyourcore.com