Abdominal Separation

You've probably heard of the term Abdominal Separation before but what does it really mean and what can we do about it?

It's not as scary as it sounds...
It's actually not a split of the abdominal muscles but rather a stretching and thinning of the connective tissue called your Linea Alba.

Between eighteen to thirty weeks pregnant, there is a significant stretching of the connective tissue between the abdominals...
Your body is amazing and the stretching of connective tissue allows your body to constantly adapt as the baby grows throughout pregnancy. Stretching of this tissue happens above, below and inline with the belly button at varying degrees.

What does it look like?
During pregnancy it looks like a doming or a ridge in the middle of the stomach, and can often be seen when using or flexing your trunk i.e. getting out of bed or bending down to pick something off the floor. As a new mum it can feel like a noticeable gap down the midline of your stomach at rest or a doming of your abdominals when flexing your trunk.

Factors that contribute towards Abdominal Separation include:

• Multiple pregnancies 
• Multiple gestation (i.e. twins and triplets)
• Poor abdominal muscle tone
• Increased maternal age
• Mothers with multiple young children who need to be carried/lifted
• Poor abdominal and Pelvic Floor activation
• Doing exercises that strain the six pack muscles (e.g. sit ups, pushups on your toes and planks) during pregnancy or the early post natal period

Here are our top Do's and Don'ts when it comes to Abdominal Separation...

We do recommend:

• Establishing a strong connection between the Pelvic Floor, Transverse Abdominus and the Diaphragm. Correct activation of your core is essential and we can show you how to do this in our Personal Training, Group and Online sessions.
• Book in with a Women's Health Physiotherapist who can assess the degree of Abdominal Separation and observe your activation patterns in greater detail. Make sure you also have your six week check after your baby is born.
• Give your body time to heal after birth. Several studies (Coldron et al 2008) have shown the greatest recovery period for Abdominal Separation is between the day your baby is born to eight weeks after birth. After this period, the connective tissue continues to heal but at a much slower rate. Therefore it is so important to maximise this healing time and resume exercise gradually.
• Roll to your side when getting out of bed (whether you're pregnant or a new mum) and take extra care when lifting your baby or toddler.
• Wear gentle compression shorts after having your baby to support your core in the early days.

We don't recommend:

• We don't recommend sit ups, planks, crunches and Russian twists throughout pregnancy or as a new mum. These exercises place undue strain on the abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. Peforming incorrect exercises may cause other symptoms to arise such as lower back pain, pelvic pain and pelvic floor weakness.
• Don't hold your breath when exercising. Any repetitive breath holding and even forced exhalation during exercise can further stretch and strain your abdominals and Pelvic Floor. 
• Don't go too hard too fast. Pace yourself and do not resume heavy resistance training, high impact exercise, large compound movements or fast movements straight away. Remember slow and steady wins the race!

Whether you are pregnant or you are a new mum, we can help you enjoy a safe return to exercise with our Personal Training, Group Sessions and Online classes. If you are looking for a Women's Health Physio to assess your Abdominal Separation or other women's health concerns, Janette O'Toole from Better Health Physiotherapy can help!  

Sarah
​Mummas On The Move