Category: DIASTASIS

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Exercises for DRA Supine Hook-Lying Curl Up • Using a hand on either side of your abdomen for support • Inhale and then as you exhale, draw your lower tummy into your spine and lift your head and neck off the bed • Breathe again, then slowly lower and Read More

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Exercise Alignment  Pelvic position should be untucked to optimize glute activation • Rib cage position over the pelvis to help balance the forces, pressures, and appropriate recruitment of the front (abdominals), back (glutes), top (diaphragm), and bottom(pelvic floor) *Information provided by -Kristina Kehoe PT, DPT

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Precaution Exercises during pregnancy     Valsalva maneuver breath holding during activities Coughing, sneezing, lifting, bending, transitional movements WITHOUT abdominal bracing Full sit-ups, jack-knifes, bilateral leg raises Hyperextension of lumbar spine or exercises that overstretch the abdominal wall Bouncing exercises Aggressive stretching Rotational trunk exercises Relative precaution using quadruped Read More

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Exercise Considerations • Best treated post-partum but could begin abdominal exercises during pregnancy • Focusing only on narrowing the inter-rectus distance (IRD) may not achieve the best cosmetic or functional outcomes for abdominal wall due to distortion of the linea alba • If person has good control of Transverse Read More

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Symptoms of DRA • Visible and palpable separation of rectus abdominis muscle bellies (You can test yourself to feel for any separation or be assessed by physician or physical therapist) • Feeling of “flabbiness” in abdominal muscles • Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction that causes urinary or bowel problems • Read More

What is Diastasis Recti Abdominis (DRA)? Implications of DRA • Abdominal wall functions; posture, trunk and pelvic stability, respiration, trunk movement, and support of abdominal viscera (stomach, intestine, liver and biliary system, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, ureters, and suprarenal glands). • DRA can weaken abdominal muscles resulting in altered trunk mechanics, impaired pelvic stability and changed Read More

What is DIASTASIS RECTI ABDOMINIS (DRA)? Anatomical Considerations   DRA occurs due to hormonal elastic changes of the connective tissue and the mechanical stresses placed on the abdominal wall and displacement of abdominal organs Widening of this distance can modify capability to transfer force across the midline of the abdomen *Information provided by -Kristina Kehoe Read More