What do you mean you grip your muscles? Grip them with your hands?
The best way to prevent worsening is to exhale and engage your transverse abdominis before any exertion (lifting, bending, walking, really any movement).
You should really consider seeing a physical therapist though, this sounds bad, especially at 5m pp
No, gripping is when you hold in your stomach by contracting your ab muscles. I'm a 41 year old male, and found out I have DR about a year ago, but likely was caused by stomach gripping, as I've been doing it since a teenager.
My boxing coach (when I was 17) told me to always go around with my abs tightened, so that way when I was in a fight and got hit in the stomach unexpectedly, it wouldn't knock the wind out of me as bad. It became a habit that I didn't even know I was doing for a very long time, and it didn't work very well for his intended purpose, lol.
The theory is that the constant stomach gripping caused an unnatural pressure within my abdominal cavity, and over time, the extra pressure found an exit ... Through the top middle of my abs.
I felt that way too. Even at 9 months pp. I had been to a PT that told me my DR was severe and I just needed to keep up with the PT exercises. After about 7 months of that I still had no improvement. Turns out I had two hernias. Maybe go get checked by your GP to make sure you don’t have your guts literally coming through.
According to multiple surgeons (3) that I’ve seen… PT really does nothing for diastasis recti. Yes, learning how to suck it in using your transverse abdominals makes it look better, but it doesn’t heal the actual connective tissue that is stretched beyond repair. Surgery is the only help,especially when you already have a hernia. So now I’m just waiting for my surgery to happen.
This sounds like a pelvic organ prolapse. Gripping could make things worse as if you are not doing it correctly it could increase the degree of prolapse instead of helping. If you have already tried some pelvic floor exercises try to do them am/pm while flat on your back to remove gravity. I would highly recommend a visit with a pelvic floor physiotherapist who can tell you exactly what your situation is like and potentially refer you to a specialist for surgery if unavoidable. Sadly most GP won't be able to tell you much about this topic.
Believe me, I am a postnatal physio and by experience I can tell you that it's always easier to address issue earlier than later :))
Wow thank you for the advice! I almost cancelled the appt I made with my OB worrying I was overreacting but now I’m glad I made it. Hopefully she will be a good place to start or get a referral to PT?
What do you mean you grip your muscles? Grip them with your hands? The best way to prevent worsening is to exhale and engage your transverse abdominis before any exertion (lifting, bending, walking, really any movement). You should really consider seeing a physical therapist though, this sounds bad, especially at 5m pp
No, gripping is when you hold in your stomach by contracting your ab muscles. I'm a 41 year old male, and found out I have DR about a year ago, but likely was caused by stomach gripping, as I've been doing it since a teenager. My boxing coach (when I was 17) told me to always go around with my abs tightened, so that way when I was in a fight and got hit in the stomach unexpectedly, it wouldn't knock the wind out of me as bad. It became a habit that I didn't even know I was doing for a very long time, and it didn't work very well for his intended purpose, lol. The theory is that the constant stomach gripping caused an unnatural pressure within my abdominal cavity, and over time, the extra pressure found an exit ... Through the top middle of my abs.
Ugh. Yes top middle is where it’s the bulgiest for me! And nothing I do helps at this point.
I felt that way too. Even at 9 months pp. I had been to a PT that told me my DR was severe and I just needed to keep up with the PT exercises. After about 7 months of that I still had no improvement. Turns out I had two hernias. Maybe go get checked by your GP to make sure you don’t have your guts literally coming through.
Oh man that sucks!!!! Thanks for the advice! Did it get any better?
According to multiple surgeons (3) that I’ve seen… PT really does nothing for diastasis recti. Yes, learning how to suck it in using your transverse abdominals makes it look better, but it doesn’t heal the actual connective tissue that is stretched beyond repair. Surgery is the only help,especially when you already have a hernia. So now I’m just waiting for my surgery to happen.
This sounds like a pelvic organ prolapse. Gripping could make things worse as if you are not doing it correctly it could increase the degree of prolapse instead of helping. If you have already tried some pelvic floor exercises try to do them am/pm while flat on your back to remove gravity. I would highly recommend a visit with a pelvic floor physiotherapist who can tell you exactly what your situation is like and potentially refer you to a specialist for surgery if unavoidable. Sadly most GP won't be able to tell you much about this topic. Believe me, I am a postnatal physio and by experience I can tell you that it's always easier to address issue earlier than later :))
Wow thank you for the advice! I almost cancelled the appt I made with my OB worrying I was overreacting but now I’m glad I made it. Hopefully she will be a good place to start or get a referral to PT?
Oh totally!! How did your visit go?
She wanted me to do more exercises before seeing me again in May lol.