RECTI MUSCLES COMPLICATIONS
When the abdominal muscles separate, it adjusts to the growth of the uterus to prepare for childbirth. It happens during the trimester of pregnancy. However, recti muscles complications might occur, especially if not treated or diagnosed early. Here are some of them:
CONSTIPATION
Constipation is one of the complications of recti muscles that a woman might experience. It is easy to recognise, especially for people who do not experience issues in their bowel movements.
You will notice that your bowel movement becomes frequent, and it might be because of hormonal changes, lack of fibre, digestive disorders, ageing, and insufficient water intake.
PELVIC ORGAN RELAPSE
If you feel changes on your pelvic floor, you may have a pelvic organ relapse. The pelvic organs swell out in the rectal opening, causing an issue with the ligaments and muscles.
A bulge or heaviness in the rectum are the common signs of this recti muscles complication, and it might need surgery if not treated immediately.
PELVIC PAIN
Unlike other divarication of recti complications, pelvic pain happens during child delivery or instability in the pelvis. There is a hormone called relaxin, and it relaxes the ligaments of the pelvis. It also causes the cervix to expand as a preparation for childbirth.
To lessen the pain, you must put your feet on the ground when exercising or even sitting. You could also put a pillow between your legs when sleeping to relieve pain and make the pelvic floor stronger.
URINARY INCONTINENCE
If you did not treat divarication of recti early, urinary incontinence might occur. It happens when there is a loss of bladder control, and it might end up into two types – persistent and temporary.
- Persistent urinary incontinence – this type happens for people who experienced pregnancy, childbirth, enlarged prostate, or menopausal hormonal changes. Some things could cause it that are uncontrollable, like ageing.
- Temporary urinary incontinence – this complication involves your lifestyle, so you need to watch it. It revolves around the things you put inside your body, like food, drinks, and medications. Avoid too much alcohol, chocolate, caffeine, vitamin C, and high acid foods.
Take care of your health before doing any activities. Make sure that you have a healthy lifestyle to avoid these things.
HERNIA
For severe cases of divarication of recti, the hernia could happen. Watch it on the abdomen and groin parts. It is only removable through surgery, and it helps to avoid more complications from occurring.
If you see or feel anything on your body, be attentive and check with your doctor. Do not let recti muscles complications occur, knowing that you could do something to prevent it from happening.
DIASTASIS RECTI TREATMENTS
Divarication of recti must go away eight weeks after childbirth. However, not all women experience it, which leads them into undergoing treatments to avoid health complications.
These are some of the available treatments in Singapore:
SURGERY
Some cases require surgery, and it depends on the severity of the recti muscles condition. There are three surgical ways to treat it, and those are:
- Laparoscopic repair
- Endoscopic repair
- Open surgery
These surgeries have different methods of healing and treatment. There are times where the patient needs to do some activities before the surgery day to ensure the readiness for the recti muscles treatment.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
If you want a divarication of recti non-surgical treatment, you could do physiotherapy. You could do it six to eight weeks after giving birth. It includes postural education, aerobic exercises, or external support. If you want to focus on your posture, physiotherapy is the one for you.
PHYSICAL THERAPY
If you want to do some leg lowering exercises, oblique and straight crunches, or heavy lifting, you could do physical therapy as a divarication of recti treatment. It pulls the abdominal muscles to heal the soft tissues surrounding the area using movements you could also do around the house.
HIFEM TECHNOLOGY
High Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Therapy or HIFEM technology makes a new and healthier muscle memory using electromagnetic energy. It targets the recti muscles area to ensure that no other tissues would be affected by the treatment.
EXERCISES
There are various types of exercises that you could do at home to heal the recti muscles. But, take note that these are only for non-extreme cases. The workout also depends on your condition, so you need to check with your doctor first before doing one.
Always ensure your safety by considering these treatments, especially after giving birth. It ensures that you will not experience any recti muscles complications that might affect your overall health.
DIASTASIS RECTI EXERCISES
If you want to treat your recti muscles at home, you could do these diastasis recti exercises. Learn more about them here:
TOE DIPS
If you want to focus on your transverse and rectus abdominal muscles, you could do toe dips as one of your diastasis recti exercises. Do this four times a week, and all you need is to ensure that there would be no bulging in your abdomen.
PELVIC BRACE
This divarication of recti exercise targets your deep core muscles. It is easy to do because it only needs to prep your body and look for a neutral spine.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, put your hands on the pelvis, exhale, and do pelvic floor muscle contraction.
TRANSVERSE ABDOMINAL MUSCLE
If your recti muscles case focuses on the internal corset, you should do transverse abdominal muscle. It pulls the rectus abdominal muscles together. You should avoid heavy lifting, leg lowering exercises, and sit-ups.
CLOSING THE GAP
Closing the gap, also known as neuromuscular education, focuses on closing the gap in your abdomen. It only needs a towel to do this recti muscles exercise by squeezing it around your waist.
DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING
Diaphragmatic breathing is one of the diastasis recti exercises that helps in breathing after a woman gives birth. It helps through a supine position while you are bending your knees. The diaphragm is the centre of this exercise, and it ensures the improvement of the breathing pattern.
If you want to learn more about the divarication of recti, visit Orchard Clinic’s website. You will see all the services they offer for their patients.
