In this post, we will be discussing How to Fix Diastasis Recti or Prolapse Symptoms YEARS LATER… as a seasoned mom! Understanding how you can fix diastasis recti or prolapse symptoms years later is so important for women. You might be thinking…
But it has been years since I had a baby!
But years, since you’ve had a baby, doesn’t mean you can fix diastasis recti or prolapse symptoms years later.
How to Fix Diastasis Recti or Prolapse Symptoms Years Later
Pelvic Floor Health and conversations surrounding healing after birth is on the rise which is very exciting for women’s health! But it leaves many women wondering if they too can still heal their bodies years after having children?
One of the many things that are not communicated well about postpartum is that postpartum is forever!
While it is best practice to heal your diastasis recti and learn to manage prolapse symptoms and pressure as soon as possible after birth, there is no expiration date on when your diastasis recti can be healed. If you are 5-30 years or more postpartum, you absolutely can still heal your diastasis recti or manage prolapse symptoms.
Postpartum is forever.
So, What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis Recti is the separation of the abdominal muscles to allow for a baby to grow. Diastasis recti is present in 100% of pregnancies after 37 weeks of gestation. If you feel that you did not have one it is possible that it healed on its own after birth.
Diastasis recti is not a bad thing or a sign that maybe you gained too much weight. It doesn’t mean that you did something wrong in your pregnancy. It is simply how your body allows space for your baby to grow. There are varying sizes of diastasis recti. The size does not mean very much, what is most important is the integrity and function of the linea alba, which is a tendon-like structure between the abdominal walls that holds them together. This is what helps to control the intraabdominal pressure and initiate the function of your core. A qualified postpartum coach and pelvic floor physical therapist can help you understand your own diastasis recti, its size, and its function.
What is Prolapse?
Prolapse is defined as the descent of internal organs into the vaginal canal. Prolapse can have symptoms, but can also be completely asymptomatic. Working with a pelvic floor physical therapist will give you a definitive answer if you have prolapse, what degree of prolapse, and of what specific organs.
What symptoms might indicate unhealed diastasis recti, prolapse, or mismanaged pressure?
- Have you maybe noticed that you are struggling to make progress in one area of your workouts? Maybe that you are not increasing the amount you can lift or the distance you can run?
- Do you have recurring injuries?
- Are you having constant pain and discomfort? Especially in your low back, hips, or knees.
- Possibly even your sex life is affected by pain or discomfort.
- You leak, have pain or pressure when laughing, coughing, sneezing, or yelling, and also during exercises especially in high impact activities like running, jumping, or weight lifting or during daily activities- vacuuming, doing the dishes, etc.?
- Your tampon is pushed out during workouts, laughing or coughing?
- Constipation, urgency, or struggling to fully empty your bladder?
If you answered yes to any of the items listed above you may have pelvic floor dysfunction which indicates mismanagement of pressure in your body. This is not a diagnosis of diastasis recti or prolapse. Both of these things will be diagnosed by a physical examination from a qualified professional. But it is an indicator of your system not working together properly.
Pressure is what helps our system work together- think about a sneeze, or blowing your nose, that is pressure and that same type of pressure is what helps initiate the function of your muscles.
Pregnancy and delivery are a lot like an injury to the body. While it isn’t an injury in conventional terms because it is naturally occurring, we want to acknowledge the stress that pregnancy and delivery put on a body. And realize that it causes a lot of physical change to the body that should absolutely be addressed and healed postpartum. Allowing this mindset might allow a sense of urgency to heal properly postpartum.
But what if I didn’t do any intentional rehabilitative work in early postpartum?
Many women stop doing things that they loved after having children because of pressure, leaking, or pain caused by an unhealed pelvic floor. After intentional work focused on learning how to use the pelvic floor muscles, manage pressure and strengthen the pelvic floor, many women see that their symptoms improve. They can return to doing the things that they enjoyed before having children. Parts of the activity might look different because of necessary modifications or the use of a pessary to help support a prolapse. To read more about the improvement of prolapse symptoms with intentional exercise read here.
A diagnosis of prolapse or diastasis recti after having children is not a death sentence to your goals!
It is simply an indicator that you have a specific physical dysfunction that will not allow you to heal or workout normally yet postpartum. It is a diagnosis that leads to the next step of recovery!
Again, it is never too late to heal your body after birth. Many exercises and strategies are recommended to heal a diastasis recti and manage pain, pressure, and prolapse symptoms. This can be easily added to your normal workout routine. There may be some instances where some activities or exercises need to stop or be heavily modified for a short amount of time. While you rebuild part of your foundation, it absolutely does not mean that you have to step away from your favorite workouts or activities forever.
Finding a qualified coach to assist you in the integration of these exercises is important. It is becoming more popular in the fitness world that coaches and instructors are pursuing certifications. As well as continuing education in pelvic floor health and the effects that pregnancy and delivery have on the pelvic floor. It is highlighting how critical it is to heal a body properly after delivery. There is so much fitness professionals can do to help mothers recover safely postpartum.
What improvements might you expect from intentional pelvic floor work and healing?
- Improvement in strength and endurance
- Recovering from workouts much faster
- Ability to manage pressure in daily activities- vacuuming, doing the dishes, etc.
- Able to enjoy sex without pain
- An overall feeling of being stronger, seeing fewer injuries and uncomfortably tight muscles
- Improved bowel and bladder function and keeping tampons where they are supposed to be
These changes show that your system is now working together to support you throughout your workouts and in daily activities! You may still be thinking about whether you can still heal and change your body multiple years after birth? Healing your body can happen at any point in your life and at any point postpartum.
You still have a body and muscles that can be trained and restored and retrained on how to function properly together!
If you need guidance and help on how to train effectively and have a personalized program done for you and your body if you have Diastasis Recti and/or Pelvic Organ prolapse…. Come work with me!
I have 5 spots available for my personalized coaching program!
To find out more, EMAIL:[email protected] with the word “Coaching”!
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