Diastasis Recti Treatment in Knoxville

2nd Starting directly above the belly button, place your fingers horizontally across your belly.  There should be a small dip, or opening there already because the abdominals don’t connect there due to the umbilicus or belly button.

3rd Start with placing two fingers down. Once your fingers are placed, slowly raise your head off the ground as if to perform a crunch.   You will feel a slight squeeze on either side of your fingers. If you don’t feel a squeeze, add another finger, and so on until you feel a gentle squeeze, each time lowering your head and raising it again.  

4th If you feel a squeeze with only two fingers, you likely don’t have a diastasis.  If more than two fingers are needed, you have a diastasis.  This can be found in both men and women.

Exercise To Close The Diastasis

Now that you have measured yourself and know for sure that you have a diastasis, you can perform the exercise to close it.

1st Begin by sitting in a firm chair with a straight back, and feet planted on the ground.

2nd Place your hand over your diaphragm and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.  The diaphragm should fill with air, like a balloon, when you breathe in and deflate when you breathe out.  This is proper belly breathing.  You must get this part down before learning the actual exercise.  

3rd Once you’ve mastered belly breathing, you will inhale deeply.  

4th On the exhale, you will shush it out, sounding like an angry mom or librarian (shhhhhhhhhhh).  This must be forceful to engage the transverse since again, it’s the deepest muscles.  

5th When the muscle is fully contracted (pulled in), you will begin counting to ten.  The reason for counting out loud is to ensure you are breathing through this exercise and not holding your breath.  

6th Holding your breath will cause intra-abdominal pressure and will contradict all you are trying to accomplish, which is to contract the core.  After you’ve counted to ten, relax the core.  

You’ve just performed a proper transverse abdominis contraction. You need to perform this exercise ten times a day, that is only 1-2 every couple of hours.

Chiropractic Care in Knoxville

With over 15+ years of experience, Knoxville Spine & Sports has the expertise to alleviate your pain to get you to optimal health and peak performance. We specialize in various therapies, techniques, and treatment options including chiropractic, physical therapy, dry needling, strengthening & corrective exercises, and more. Call our office today at (865) 229-8796.