How To Fix Diastasis Recti Naturally: 10 Things That Actually Help (And What To Avoid)

Blog post written by Dr. Marnie Hansen, DC for Salt Lake Spine & Pelvis

Imagine this: you start your day by rolling out of bed. When you sit up, you glance down, and suddenly your belly seems to form a little ridge or triangle down the middle. You feel a jolt of panic and pick up your phone to search for answers.

You open Instagram and scroll to the first post you see, telling you that "your core is ruined forever."

Pause here with me for a moment.

We all know there is a massive amount of clickbait online geared at selling us some course or product or another. Fear advertising can be powerful. And it sells. So let's recognize it for what it is (there is truly a lot of bad advice out there), ignore those manipulative ads and articles for a moment, and talk straight.

And fearlessly.

The good news is that diastasis recti is incredibly common in men and women of all walks and seasons of life. It's a completely normal adaptation to pregnancy, weight lifting, and beyond. As our bodies are extremely intelligent at healing when given the right skills and environments, diastasis has great potential to improve significantly over time with the right movement.

Let's talk about what Diastasis Recti (I'll call it diastasis for short here) actually is, what "coning" means, and 10 practical things you can start doing today to work through it naturally! This issue often heals on its own without help... but sometimes it just needs a little nudge.

First... What Is Diastasis Recti?

Your "six-pack" muscles (the rectus abdominis) run vertically down the front of your abdomen, on both sides. Most people have three tendinous intersections separating the muscle sections; some have four. These tendinous intersections help create that "washboard look" of the distinct muscle sections. (Most of us only show 3 sets each side when we work hard at it, but we technically have two sets of 4).

Between these sets of muscles, perfectly centered in your torso, running from your sternum to your pubic bone, sits a band of connective tissue called the linea alba. This band connects both sides of the abdominals to each other.

During pregnancy, your growing baby, uterus, hormones, and increased abdominal pressure naturally stretch this tissue to make room for a little human to grow. This can happen with increased pressure to the abdomen when weightlifting, carrying something heavy, or even weight gain.

In short, this overstretching can lead to a condition called diastasis recti.

It's not a muscle tear; it's a structural widening and stretching of the connective tissue to accommodate these life events. It's a brilliant adaptation that the body performs to allow pregnancy, weight fluctuations, or increased abdominal loads to be transferred successfully. It's not your body failing you.

In fact, studies have found that most women develop some degree of abdominal separation during late pregnancy.

So, the real question isn't:

"Do I have a gap?"

It's more complex than that. The better question is:

"How well is my abdominal wall functioning despite all it's been through?"

There is usually a muscular imbalance that happens after excessive tissue stretching or abdominal pressure. And there is a direct link to how your spine moves and how your posture is oriented. That is a key point here, and the good news is that it's something that can be worked on and even changed over time.

Hold Up...What Is "Coning?"

Coning (sometimes called doming) is a ridge or bulge that can form down the midline, or center of your abdomen, with certain movements. Especially common around the belly button. This can happen in varying degrees, and you might notice it when:

• Sitting straight up in bed

• Doing crunches

• Getting off the couch

• Lifting something heavy

• Rolling over

• Certain planks, bird/dog's, or core exercises

  
  

Think of it as the tissues looking for somewhere to go under pressure. It's a sign that your body isn't managing abdominal pressure as efficiently or as balanced as it could, and the tissues need a little help. Note: You are not necessarily causing damage every time it happens. Repeated coning under a heavy load or abdominal pressure is simply your body's way of saying:

"Hey...maybe let's coordinate this movement a little differently, here."

The linea alba and rectus abdominus muscles: how they look under the surface.

The "Gap" Is Only Part Of The Story

For years, everyone has been obsessed over finger width measurements when measuring for diastasis recti.

One finger...

Two fingers....

Or three fingers?

What does it all mean?

The finger width measuring method may have some merit to it; however, modern rehabilitation practitioners are becoming increasingly interested in:

• Tissue tension

• Depth of the gap

• Pressure management

• Force transfer

• Functional strength

• Symptoms

...and for good reason. For example, someone with a wider gap may function beautifully and in a very balanced way in terms of core function. Yet, someone with a very small gap may still struggle with back pain, pelvic floor symptoms, weakness, or instability, suggesting there is more to this than just a measurement.

Is It Normal?

Yes. Extremely. And common, even.

Most women (nearly 100%) experience abdominal separation by week 35 of pregnancy. A thinning and widening of the linea alba and abdominal fascia is totally natural, and healing of this overstretched tissue continues well beyond those first six weeks postpartum. It's estimated that nearly 60% of women will still have separation just 6 weeks post partum.

Many women will recover quickly, while others continue to improve over months or years. Approximately 33% of women will continue to have a gap around one year postpartum, which just needs a little extra guidance and rehabilitation, and appropriate loading techniques.

Why?

Many factors come into play here, such as improper breathing habits and abdominal pressure management (habitual breath holding or straining when lifting), multiple pregnancies or multiples (like twins or triplets) in pregnancy, or having babies later in life (totally OK, never fear this, I will write more on it later).

Yes, the finger measurement system still exists and does have some credibility. According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you have a gap wider than two fingers after three to six months post partum, rehab help is highly recommended.

In my clinic, I do look at this, yes. However, core weakness or imbalance, with the accompanying presentation of low back, hip, or pelvic floor dysfunction and pain, is often a bigger indicator to me of the gapping creating a problem. I tend to put more emphasis on function as a whole with my patients, like... how are the hips oriented, or does the low back have proper curvature... because it all comes around and connects to the abs through fascial connections. They move together.

10 Things That Actually Help Diastasis Recti

1. Assess Your Breathing

If I could prescribe just one exercise to almost everyone, it would be breathwork. And not just any breathwork, the recommendations I give are individualized. Breathwork is the foundation for any and all exercises we layer on top of it.

This is because our diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor are teammates! They work together.

You can practice slow diaphragmatic breathing by:

• Inhaling through your nose

• Let your ribs expand

• Allow gentle belly expansion

• Exhale slowly

• Feel your deep abdominal wall and pelvic floor gently engage

Simple doesn't mean ineffective; sometimes the biggest changes start here. From here, I build on the breathing technique. Most often I work into box breathing styles with the patient, but I always focus on breathwork for embodiment.

2. Walk

Seriously, walking is one of my favorite postpartum exercises. You can take it at your own pace, and space it out over the day. It engages the transverse abdominus and other core muscles, giving your core a gentle workout.

Walking:

• Encourages natural core coordination

• Promotes circulation

• Improves breathing

• Reduces stiffness

• Gradually reloads the body

• Supports mental health too

One of my own patients swears that walking and breathing alone made the biggest difference in her recovery with diastasis, and I can see why!

3. Learn Pressure Management

Instead of holding your breath every time you lift something...

Exhale during the efforting, and imagine your abdomen and pelvic floor are supporting very valuable contents (because they are!).

Use this technique when:

• Picking up the little ones

• Carrying groceries

• Standing from a chair

• Lifting laundry baskets

• Lifting weights

• Grabbing something heavy off the floor

  
  

Controlling the pressure management system of your abdomen and your breath can become one of your best rehabilitation tools.

4. Roll Instead of Doing a Full Sit-up

Those old dramatic movie-style sit-ups from lying flat? Maybe not your best friend immediately postpartum (or when experiencing back pain or sciatica).

Instead:

• Roll onto your side

• Use your arms

• Push yourself up

Simple change. Huge reduction in unnecessary abdominal strain. This is a great life skill for everyone to get in the habit of, in fact. Saves your back from injury in the long run (and if everything is connected, helps with core health, too...)!

5. Reconnect With Your Deep Core

When learning postural correction and support in Chiropractic College, we learned the postural support technique that goes a little like this:

Close your eyes and sit comfortably upright. Bring your attention to your hips and bottom, shifting from side to side as you identify your sit bones. Then, center yourself over your sitbones, placing equal weight on each.

Then, the instruction that is slightly controversial in today's rehab world:

"Pull your belly button to your spine."

Some agree with this, some don't. I like to think of it as core engagement, and gently supporting the spine while lifting the pelvic core.

It's like hugging the spine with your core, as you support it.

Try to do this without gripping, sucking in, or holding your breath. Gentle coordination and connection to your core and pelvis beats maximal tension.

Hold this once an hour for 30 seconds, and you've got yourself a highly developed, supportive internal core-bracing system. You've also developed a great brain-body connection to the core and the ability to engage it on demand (not to mention very supportive abs that differ in strength from the abs we develop while doing sit-ups).

This exercise is a gem for chronic sitters (which, by the way, sitting can feed into core instability and diastasis...)

6. Practice Heel Slides

One of my favorite beginner exercises, but great for those reconnecting to the basics.

Lie comfortably on your back.

• Gentle breath in

• Exhale

• Maintain light abdominal support (as discussed above... gently press your back into the floor as you bring the belly button to the spine. Think lightly pressed, not stressed)

• Slowly slide one heel away

• Return

• Alternate sides

This is about quality over quantity, and it prepares us for the next exercise...

7. Dead bugs (appropriately progressed)

Eventually, dead bugs can become wonderful functional core exercises. The key to these is not to rush them. Keep breathing while watching for excessive coning. And modify as needed.

(I will post links to these exercises later, but for now, check out YouTube, as it can be a great resource for proper dead-bugs)

8. Bird Dogs

Another favorite, I prescribe these for postural correction and support all of the time.

Same goes: look up some good exercises on this or get help with instruction. It can be very helpful for your movement specialist or practitioner to watch how you perform this, as there are many nuances to it, and it's easy to mis-perform parts of it without realizing it (seriously, no joke)!

Quadruped position:

• Gentle breath

• Extend the opposite arm and leg

• Maintain smooth control

• No breath holding

• No excessive bulging

It's amazing how much coordination and core stamina these can build.

Adding a comprehensive core workout to breathwork is key for diastasis recti!

9. Glute Bridges

Your core isn't just your abs; it's also your glutes, hips, pelvis, and diaphragm. The muscles, nerves, joints, bones, tendons, and ligaments of the trunk all work together!

Bridges can:

• Improve posterior chain strength

• Support pelvic stability

• Engage and strengthen the glutes with good form

• Encourage coordinated movement

• Help reconnect the whole system

  
  

Slow and controlled wins every time. I like to start people with static holds of 30-60 seconds, and progress into repetitions, eventually weighted reps...

10. Don't Fear Strength Training

When it comes to diastasis, this one often surprises people. Your goal isn't to avoid loading forever; rather, it's to gradually build up core resilience enough to lift heavy things without issue.

That includes:

• Picking up toddlers

• Hiking

• Skiing

• Gardening

• Carrying groceries

• Returning to the gym

• 
  

Progressive loading is often part of recovery... not to be avoided in all cases. Definitely discuss this one with your practitioner, as lifting programs often need to be tailored and individualized with diastasis... but I will leave that there for now.

Things I'd Avoid (for now)

Not because they're "bad," but because they may exceed your current capacity. Mindfulness is key in these instances.

Examples might include:

• Forceful breath-holding during heavy lifts

• Aggressive crunches if they consistently produce significant coning (they are not my favorite for core strength and mobility anyway)

• Exercises that create pain

• Movements that cause you to lose pressure control repeatedly

Notice I didn't say "never."

Just "not yet." Build the core foundations first, and progress from there...

When Should You Get Evaluated?

If you notice:

• Persistent bulging

• Ongoing significant coning

• Back pain

• Pelvic pain

• Pelvic heaviness or prolapse symptoms

• Urinary leakage

• Difficulty generating strength

• A visible separation that concerns you

...it's worth having someone assess you. Not because something is necessarily wrong.

But personalized guidance can make a huge difference in these cases.

My Favorite Message to New Moms

Your body is incredibly resilient and knows what it's doing. It has adapted in extraordinary ways in order to grow a little human being. Healing isn't about chasing washboard abs or attaining that perfectly chiseled stomach. Or even obsessing over finger widths.

If that is something you want... great! Go for it! You have my support :)

But my overarching point is that it's not about chasing perfection, but restoring function, breathing well, and moving well. Expressing balanced, engaged strength and, most importantly, developing a trusting, safe relationship with your body again.

At a foundational, or core level.

And if you are still coning months or even years later, there is no shame or failure in that. It may simply mean your body would benefit from a more individualized plan, and perhaps a change-up in some of your movement patterns and habits. (Sometimes it really helps to get an objective look at that)

As I said, the goal is not perfection. But building resilient bodies that can hike mountains, pick up toddlers, ski powder, laugh hard, sneeze without fear, and carry groceries without throwing their backs out... to me, that's a much more intriguing goal to work for!

An extra resource I like to give my patients for tips and exercises on diastasis recti:

Diastasis Recti: A Whole Body Solution To Abdominal Weakness And Separation, By Kathy Bowman, MS

Want To Learn How To Fix Diastasis Recti Naturally?

Have questions or want to learn more? Book a complementary consult here!