Diastasis in Bensalem

Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Diastasis Recti in Bensalem

Living with abdominal separation, or diastasis recti, can be stressful and uncomfortable. The gap between your abdominal muscles causes your belly to stick out, you may deal with back pain and pelvic floor dysfunction, and you don’t have the core strength you need for daily activities. If you’re a woman struggling with diastasis recti in the Bensalem area, pelvic floor physical therapy at BeWhole Pelvic Physical Therapy can help. Our experienced women’s health physical therapists are specially trained to treat diastasis recti and rebuild core strength.

What Exactly is Diastasis Recti?

Diastasis recti occurs when the left and right sides of the rectus abdominis muscle (your “six-pack” muscles) spread apart, stretching the connective tissue between them. This causes the belly to bulge outward. Pregnancy is the most common cause, but factors like weight changes, certain exercises, and genetics can also play a role. Up to 60% of pregnant women develop diastasis recti by their third trimester. Over 25% still have it a year after childbirth. So if you look pregnant even though your baby was born months or years ago, diastasis recti could be the reason.

Other symptoms include:

• Back pain and pelvic pain
• Pelvic floor dysfunction
• Core weakness
• Poor posture
• Aches when lifting objects or exercising

Diastasis recti is NOT the same as a hernia. The rectus abdominis muscle stays intact – it just separates down the middle. A hernia involves a hole or tear that allows internal tissue/organs to poke through. Left untreated, diastasis recti tends to worsen over time. And core weakness, pelvic floor dysfunction, and back pain can seriously impact your quality of life. The good news? With the right pelvic floor physical therapy program focused on core rehabilitation, most cases of diastasis recti can drastically improve or be reversed.

How Pelvic Floor PT Helps Diastasis Recti in Bensalem

At BeWhole Pelvic Physical Therapy, our women’s health physical therapists use a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to treat diastasis recti. We’ll perform an in-depth evaluation, then develop a customized treatment plan addressing your core weakness, muscle imbalances, posture, breathing patterns – all the factors related to your separation.

Your program will include:

• Core stabilization exercises to bring the abdominal muscles back together, rebuild strength, and restore function
• Breathing retraining to properly brace and support the core during movement
• Postural correction and body mechanics to alleviate back strain and enhance alignment
• Manual therapy to improve muscle tissue quality and mobility around the abdomen and pelvis
• Pelvic floor rehabilitation to resolve bladder, bowel, or sexual dysfunction

We’ll continually monitor your progress with ultrasounds and measurements to tweak your program as needed. And we’ll collaborate closely with your OB-GYN, trainer, or other providers to ensure seamless, well-rounded care. Diastasis recti therapy requires an extremely customized, individualized approach. So we start by listening closely to YOU – your symptoms, daily habits, needs, responsibilities, goals and more. Together we’ll pinpoint every relevant factor to address through rehab.

Benefits of Pelvic Floor PT for Diastasis Recti

Our cutting-edge techniques and women’s health expertise set BeWhole Pelvic Physical Therapy apart from “one-size-fits-all” therapy programs. Diastasis recti patients see life-changing results, including:

• Closing of the separated abdominal gap: On average, patients reduce rectus diastasis by at least 2.5 cm through our integrated treatment protocols.
  Pain reduction: With a stronger, properly functioning core and healthy alignment, most patients experience significantly less back, hip and pelvic pain.
  
• Improved posture, balance and stability: A strong core enhances movement efficiency, balance and stability for everyday activities plus recreation and exercise.
  
• Restored urinary/fecal continence: We address any related pelvic floor dysfunction to reduce leaking and urgency.
  
• Less strain on the spine, hips and pelvis: Proper core and breathing mechanics significantly reduce compensation patterns and strain throughout the body.
  
• Lasting results: We equip patients with customized “mine for life” core and breathwork programs to maintain gains from therapy long-term.