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Eden, Alvin, and Elizabeth Eden. "How Diastasis Works." 29 November 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-diastasis-works.htm> 09 May 2008.
How Diastasis Works
by Alvin Eden, MD and Elizabeth Eden, MD
Inside This Article
Diastasis Overview
After giving birth, your stomach will look and feel like gelatin, which can be quite a shock. There may be more at stake than appearance, though. Diastasis is a separation between certain abodominal muscles, and if it's not treated it can cause back and leg pain. Fortunately, the remedy -- exercise -- is cheap and easy. This article will show you how to detect diastasis and what to do about it. Here's a preview:- The Abdominal Wall After Delivery
Rectus muscles, obliques, pelvic floor -- the body is complicated in the area we think of simply as the tummy. Knowing what's inside will help you know how to tone it up properly. On this page you'll learn what the various muscles are and how pregnancy affected them. - Diagnosing Diastasis
Diastasis is fairly easy to spot -- you or your doctor can feel it with your hand from outside the body. A few days after giving birth, you'll be able to tell if you have diastasis or not. On this page, we will show you how to diagnose diastasis at home or what concerns you should bring to your doctor. - Exercises for Diastasis
Once you've detected diastasis, even light exercise can help you close the gap between your muscles. There are a number of exercises that will do the trick. Here are some exercises to get you started and some advanced ones for when your strength begins to return. - Recovery from Diastasis
Recovery time is different for every woman. It depends a lot on what kind of shape you were in before you were pregnant, and it can be as short as a couple of months or as long as a year. But the important thing is to keep trying, or you may overload your back. Find out why that is and how to get into recovery mode on this page.
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Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
Eden, Alvin, and Elizabeth Eden. "How Diastasis Works." 29 November 2006. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/how-diastasis-works.htm> 09 May 2008.
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