QuestionHi Helene, I've written you several times and you've always been very helpful in answering my questions, so here I am again!
Brief history: I realized I had abdominal separation 10 mo. postpartum with my last baby. Found your DVD and 2-1/2 years later, there is no doubt it has helped me eliminate my back pain, get my posture back, get a much flatter stomach (as long as I don't eat too much and keep my TvA engaged!), etc. I thought at one point that my separation was down to two fingers, but after much measuring and remeasuring with my husband's help, I'm at a pretty solid 2-1/2 fingers.
Not sure if it was always there or if it's widened a bit, but I'm a bit discouraged. I thought I was being careful to avoid movements in which I couldn't engage my TvA, but I have been doing planks in yoga and some twisting moves in belly dance which I have heard aren't recommended if I have diastasis recti. Could those be making it worse, even if I feel engaged in my pelvis/abs while doing them?
I have your book now, and still haven't totally mastered the small leg arcs or small reverse curls in chapter 7. I felt like I was doing OK on the crunches, but should I be splinting still while I do them?
The whole reason I started really analyzing my condition again is because I was hoping to move to a new level of core strength, eventually looking toward back bends for my dance. My teacher recommends upward dogs as part of the preparation, and then upward bow. Are these things I should continue to avoid?
I don't really mind avoiding them for now, because I want to be strong enough to do them properly, but how will I know if/when that time comes? Do I need to close my diastasis more, or is that unlikely to happen at this point? If I can do all the exercises in chapter 7 (or chapter 8) of your book, is that good enough? I'd love to have a goal to work for.
Thanks,
Alexa
AnswerTesting and evaluating diastasis recti is not exact. Depending on how much you engage you Rectus Abdominis, it's easy to get different readings. For some women, ending up with a 2 finger or slightly greater width in the linea alba is OK, particularly if the TvA is very strong and functioning properly.
Connective tissues respond to exercise, and become denser and more elastic as the muscles to which they are attached are worked. So if your mid line tissue is now dense and firm, and your diastasis is very shallow (your fingers no longer press into a deep "hole") then all forms of exercise, including planks and twists are OK. But recognize that you will always need to pre-engage the TvA (abdominal bracing) before the start of all core exercises, and then maintain that inner work, to keep your TvA functioning properly as a stabilizer.
Abdominal bracing should be done in other exercises like squats and lunges too. Really, this global usage of the TvA is key to getting a totally flat abdomen, and good overall neuromuscular coordination.
Small leg arcs are tough, because it introduces a three dimensional movement pattern. But take the time to master these, as most of our movements in daily life, and certainly in dance, happen in three dimensions. Work in a small range of motion that you can control, always making sure that your belly is fully pulled in.
Reverse curls can be done on a bench, with the hands behind the head, holding on to the sides of the bench. This gives a small amount of assist to the movement, so you can concentrate on performing a controlled curl with a tight flat abdomen. If you abs bulge outward on a regular reverse curl, stop doing them. Demi-rolls backs can be used as a substitute here too.
Work your way up to the exercises in Chapter 8. When you master those, you will have superb core strength and stability.
To find out more about diastasis recti go to:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html
To find out more about reconditioning after pregnancy go to:
http://befitmom.com/abdominal_reconditioning.html
