Are there any good/approved substitutions for rectus diastasis? I had a baby 4 months ago and have recently discovered that my abs have a huge split in them and when I do perform any time of sit up/crunch it's much more sore than normal, not to mention I develop a bulge above my belly button. I think this might be a hernia. I see my PCM on the 29th, but in the meantime I was hoping/wondering if anyone else knew what to do for this while on the program.
Thanks!!
Hmm, I'm not exactly sure so you might want to check with a doctor first, but I would suggest doing side planks (or regular planks possibly if they don't put too much pressure on your diastasis). You might only be able to do the plank for a few seconds at first, but as your muscles get stronger you'll be able to hold it longer.
Maybe try sitting up straight in a chair, or even while walking around, and pulling in your transverse abdominis muscles in regular intervals. I was just given that exercise by my physical therapist, but it is not for a diastasis - it just seems like it could be a good ab exercise that wouldn't exacerbate your condition.
I'm sorry I don't have any more suggestions, but you might be able to find more information out there on youtube or just a general web search. :) Good luck in finding some ab exercises that will work for you!
vickiege,
To be safe, you should check with your doctor before performing any ab exercises with your condition. If you do have a hernia, you don't want to make it any worse!
~Tiffany, The BFL Team
Roger that! I see him next week, done a little research and found something about using a towel to hold it together. I don't know, but I'll stay away from abs until I know for sure. Thanks!!