How to Diagnose Diastasis

During pregnancy, it is common to develop diastasis. Pregnancy forcefully stretches your abdominal muscles, and diastasis can occur when your abdominal muscles separate at the linea alba, which is center seam of your abdominals. You can tell if you have diastasis by performing a simple physical test at home.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Lie flat on your back on the mat and bend your knees.

2. Use your right hand to press your fingertips an inch below your belly button and feel your abdominal muscles.

3. Lift your head and shoulders off your mat and use your left hand to palpate your middle and upper abdominal muscles. Notice the bump or ridge that appears in the middle of your abdomen as you do this.

4. Feel for a gap between the muscles, just above the bump in the middle of your abdomen. If you do not feel a bump, you likely do not have diastasis.

5. Determine the width of the separation by using your fingers as a measuring tool. Mild diastasis can be one finger width separated, while more severe diastasis can be two or three fingers wide.

Tips & Warnings

• Diastasis can heal on its own after you give birth. Healing takes time, so treat your midsection gently while exercising and being active.
• Consult your doctor before performing any type of abdominal exercise. Certain abdominal exercises can worsen diastasis, and your doctor can examine you and determine exactly how severe your condition is.
• Consulting your doctor is also important to make sure diastasis is your correct diagnosis. While diastasis is common, hernias are common as well and can exhibit some of the same symptoms as diastasis.

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Resources

• Visit BeFit-Mom to see a diagram of diastasis