Kate Rita- Personal Trainer and Diastasis Expert

In many cases it can take months to rehabilitate a core. Any separation of the diastasis recti (DR) must be closed and the connective tissue (CT) must be strengthened to support a functional core. The pelvic floor must be activated and strengthened and the multifidus must be stimulated optimally. As you strength train with a DR , you may want to increase the difficulty of your exercises to challenge your increasing strength. There are ways to do this safely and effectively and monitor for any discomfort accordingly, especially in the pelvis. Base of support By decreasing the base of support for an exercise, you can increase the challenge of balance. You can accomplish this by using a stability or BOSU ball. Increasing the inflation will result in a smaller base support. You can also change the base of support by moving from a four-point support to a three- or two-point support. For example, to increase the level of difficulty of a hip thrust/back bridge dip, assu...

Many factors contribute to non-optimal pelvic stability control, which can result in pelvic girdle and lower back pain. Today I was lucky enough to take a lecture from the Chek Institute on SI joint pain. I loved what Dan Hellman said about "SI" pain, as I have said the same thing. It is an ambiguous term for a generalized feeling of pain in the lower back area. I always say "SI" pain is like "IBS" to me- it's a very non-specific description of symptoms. One thing he discussed today in regards to assessing and strengthening to eliminate SI joint pain was sling systems. The posterior sling is comprised of the glute maximus and the contralateral latissimus dorsi. Another consists of the working relationship between the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, ipsilateral adductors and contralateral QL. These (and other) slings comprise the functional "outer unit" . Understanding the functional relationship between muscles across these slings c...

I published this article on the amazing Maternal Goddess website in March. Strength Training With a Diastasis Recti A diastasis recti (DR) is created by intra-abdominal pressure. In most cases it will occur from pregnancy, but there are other possible causes such as abdominal loading with poor technique (“pushing out” while weight training for example), obesity, constipation, and chronic cough. If you have been assessed with a DR it is imperative that you work with a core restorative trainer to rehabilitate the dysfunctional core. Many women become apprehensive to strength train with a DR. It can be difficult to know what exercises are safe and effective to use to refrain from making the DR worse (which is possible) and/or undermining the rehab work. Any movements that cause intra-abdominal pressure are contraindicated. These include forward flexion movements from a supine position such as crunches, v-sits and sit-ups. Supine leg lifts should also be avoided....