Diastasis Recti Is More Treatable Than Most Patients Have Been Told
Diastasis recti — the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles along the midline of the abdomen — is one of the most common and most mismanaged conditions in postpartum care. It affects the majority of pregnant women to some degree, persists in a significant percentage beyond the postpartum period, and produces a range of symptoms that are frequently attributed to other causes or dismissed as a normal consequence of having a baby.
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Patients with diastasis recti are often told to avoid crunches forever, that their gap will never fully close, or that surgery is the only meaningful option if conservative treatment hasn't worked. In many cases, conservative treatment hasn't worked because it was never properly delivered — not because diastasis recti is inherently resistant to treatment.
At Bray Chiropractic & Wellness in Glastonbury, diastasis recti is evaluated and treated with a functional, evidence-based approach that assesses how the core is actually loading — not just how wide the gap is — and builds a rehabilitation program around restoring capacity, stability, and function.
What Is Diastasis Recti?
The rectus abdominis is a paired muscle — two vertical columns of muscle tissue running down the center of the abdomen, connected at the midline by a band of connective tissue called the linea alba. During pregnancy, the growing uterus exerts progressive pressure on the abdominal wall, stretching and thinning the linea alba and causing the two halves of the rectus abdominis to move apart. This separation is called diastasis recti.
Some degree of linea alba widening is a normal and necessary adaptation of pregnancy — it accommodates the growing uterus and does not in itself constitute pathology. The clinical significance of diastasis recti depends not on the presence of a gap but on the functional capacity of the linea alba to transfer load and maintain core stability.
How Common Is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti is present in the majority of women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Studies suggest that approximately 39 percent of women still have a clinically significant diastasis recti at six months postpartum, and a meaningful percentage carry it unaddressed for years — or are never told they have it at all.
Diastasis recti is not exclusively a postpartum condition. It can also occur in men — particularly those with significant abdominal obesity or who perform high-load abdominal exercises without proper technique — and in individuals who have never been pregnant. However, the postpartum population represents the vast majority of patients presenting with clinically significant diastasis recti.
What Does Diastasis Recti Feel Like?
Diastasis recti does not always produce obvious symptoms — but when it does, the most common presentations include:
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A visible or palpable ridge, dome, or cone shape at the midline of the abdomen with exertion — particularly with sit-up movements, getting up from lying down, or loaded exercise
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A feeling of core weakness or instability — difficulty with tasks that require abdominal engagement
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Low back pain — impaired core function reduces lumbar spine stability and increases load on the passive structures of the spine
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Pelvic instability and sacroiliac joint pain
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Urinary leaking with exercise, coughing, or sneezing — stress urinary incontinence driven by poor intra-abdominal pressure management
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Pelvic heaviness or pressure
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Difficulty returning to exercise without symptoms — particularly running, jumping, lifting, and high-intensity activity
The Linea Alba Function Problem — Why Gap Width Alone Is Misleading
One of the most significant problems in diastasis recti management is the overemphasis on gap width as the primary measure of severity and treatment success. Clinical research has consistently shown that the width of the inter-recti distance — the gap between the two halves of the rectus abdominis — does not reliably predict functional impairment or symptom severity.
What matters clinically is the tension and load transfer capacity of the linea alba — its ability to transmit force between the two sides of the abdominal wall and contribute to core stability under load. A patient with a wide gap but good linea alba tension may function significantly better than a patient with a narrow gap but poor linea alba tension.
This has important implications for assessment and treatment. Measuring gap width with a finger count or ultrasound without assessing linea alba function under load provides incomplete information. And a rehabilitation program focused exclusively on gap closure — rather than on restoring linea alba tension and functional core capacity — may show improvement on a gap width measurement while failing to restore the function the patient actually needs.
Why Diastasis Recti Is Often Mismanaged
Several factors contribute to diastasis recti being undertreated or mismanaged:
Blanket exercise restrictions
Patients are frequently told to avoid all exercises that produce abdominal doming — indefinitely and without a clear return-to-activity pathway. While some movement modifications are appropriate in the early rehabilitation phase, blanket avoidance of loading does not restore linea alba tension or functional core capacity.
The linea alba is connective tissue — it responds to progressive mechanical loading with increased tensile strength. Avoiding load entirely does the opposite.
Generic rehabilitation protocols
Diastasis recti rehabilitation is frequently delivered as a generic program — the same exercises prescribed to every patient regardless of assessment findings, symptom severity, or functional goals. Without individualized assessment and progressive loading based on the specific patient's presentation, results are inconsistent.
Ignoring the pelvic floor
Diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction are closely related — impaired intra-abdominal pressure management, altered core loading patterns, and pelvic floor dysfunction frequently coexist and perpetuate each other. Treating the diastasis without assessing and addressing the pelvic floor produces incomplete results. Learn more about Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.
Overlooking the postpartum context
Diastasis recti does not exist in isolation — it occurs in the context of a postpartum body that is managing hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding demands, and the physical requirements of caring for a newborn.
A rehabilitation program that doesn't account for this context is not realistic or sustainable. Learn more about Postpartum Pelvic Floor Care.
How Diastasis Recti Is Evaluated at This Practice
Assessment of diastasis recti at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness includes:
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Detailed health history — pregnancy and delivery history, current symptoms, activity level, prior rehabilitation, and functional goals
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Inter-recti distance assessment — gap width measurement at rest and under load at multiple points along the linea alba
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Linea alba tension assessment — evaluating the functional capacity of the linea alba to transfer load under progressive loading demands
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Pelvic floor assessment — evaluating tone, strength, and coordination and their relationship to core loading
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Breathing mechanics assessment — diaphragmatic function and its coordination with the pelvic floor and abdominal wall
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Functional movement assessment — evaluating how the core responds to the specific loading demands the patient needs to return to
How Diastasis Recti Is Treated at This Practice
Treatment for diastasis recti at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is individualized based on assessment findings and may include:
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Progressive core rehabilitation — a systematic, individualized loading program designed to restore linea alba tension and functional core capacity based on assessment findings
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Breathing mechanics retraining — restoring coordinated diaphragm and pelvic floor function as the foundation of deep core rehabilitation
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Pelvic floor rehabilitation — addressing the pelvic floor dysfunction that frequently coexists with and perpetuates diastasis recti
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Intra-abdominal pressure management strategies — teaching patients how to manage load through the core during daily activities, exercise, and return to sport
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Chiropractic manipulation and mobilization of the lumbar spine and sacropelvic structures when musculoskeletal pain is a presenting symptom
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Return-to-exercise progression — a systematic plan for returning to running, lifting, high-impact activity, and sport based on functional assessment rather than arbitrary timelines
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Clinical nutrition guidance when nutritional factors are affecting tissue healing and recovery. Learn more about Clinical Nutrition at this practice.
Learn more about Postpartum Pelvic Floor Care, Pelvic Floor Therapy, and Rehabilitative Exercise at this practice.
Diastasis Recti Treatment in Glastonbury, CT
Patients with diastasis recti in Glastonbury, South Glastonbury, Hebron, Marlborough, East Hartford, Manchester, and the surrounding Hartford County area will find a functional, evidence-based approach to diastasis recti rehabilitation at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness that goes well beyond gap measurement and generic exercise programs.
No referral is required. New patients can schedule directly online or by calling or texting (203) 303-4760. Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is in-network with Aetna, Anthem BCBS, Cigna (ASH), and CT Medicaid (Husky). Self-pay and HSA/FSA options are also available.