What is Diastasis Recti and How to Fix It

Diastasis Recti

There are many changes that come with pregnancy. Morning sickness, weight gain, and a new baby to name a few. One thing that many people don’t think about, or even know about sometimes, is Diastasis Recti. As the baby needs more room to grow, the abdominal muscles stretch to accommodate this. This does not only occur with pregnancy, however. It can also be a result of excessive weight gain and improper weight lifting. Once this happens, it cannot be fully healed through exercise or physical therapy alone. Often, the separation is about the width of two fingers. The best way to repair the muscles is to have a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon to perform surgery and physically bring these muscles back together. 

Repair

Dr. Diederich repairs Diastasis Recti at the same time as he performs a tummy tuck! There is no additional charge as it is part of the procedure. He uses dissolvable sutures to bring the muscles back together. By stitching the muscles closer together, they are able to heal themselves again. After the 6 week mark, the sutures are dissolved and the muscles are officially repaired.  This is the main reason why patients are restricted from lifting more than 20 pounds in the first 6 weeks after a tummy tuck. We don’t want anything to compromise the healing process or the results. 

Benefits

Repairing Diastasis Recti offers several benefits. First, your core is much stronger. This helps with your posture and can reduce the likelihood of developing a hernia. It also reduces the stomach bulge or pooch that doesn’t seem to go away. As mentioned before, exercise does not always help with Diastasis Recti and, therefore, may not be enough to flatten the stomach as much as one may like. Lastly, the repair may be able to help strengthen the pelvic floor as well.

Contact Us

If this seems like something you may be interested in, please give us a call at 618-288-7855, option 4 to speak with Katie or Sydney.  We can answer any questions you may have, as well as, get you scheduled for a consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!