Welcome to episode 2 on Obesity and Diastasis Recti. Most people know what obesity is, but you may not know about an abdominal condition called Diastasis Recti. Today we explore both and discover the commonalities of excessive fat and the gap! 

Diastasis Recti, what is it?

It's often pronounced Diastasis and the word means "separation" and the word Recti is making reference to a pair of abdominal muscles that run down from your breast bone to your pubic bone.

It's the separation of these two abdominal muscles down the front of you that creates a gap that's caused by abdominal pressure that's not controlled that pushes out the connective tissue in-between the two muscles. It creates a gap!

100% of pregnant women get this because of their gravitational pull, pressure issues from a growing fetus and hormones. 60% of postnatal women seal and heal naturally while 40% do not – they are the ones we often refer to as having "mummy tummies" or a pooch. The part of a women abdominals that never tightens up and is soft and squishy, many women refer to as bread dough. Like pregnant women, many obese people have the same abdominal complications because they too are dealing with gravitational pulls, pressure issues caused by excessive fat and hormone imbalances that weaken connective tissue.

Connective tissue is like your cellular glue that gives your body its shape. It keeps your joints and ligaments in their correct place so your muscles can do their job. 

Imagine putting your hand in a rubber glove and your hand getting bigger and pushing out over a time; then you take the glove off – it causes the glove to be thinned and stretched out. It loses its elasticity, it's buoyancy, it's tension. That's what happens when you have a diastasis. This gap threatens your support system for loading and lifting, and it compromises abdominal strength and stability, threatens spine health and creates pain in the back and hips, and pelvic floor issues can evolve from this! It makes it difficult to develop a powerhouse corset.

Other people get this pressure issue like weightlifters, giving birth, those who are advancing in aging, sedentary lifestyles, genetics, rapid fluid in the abdominals or those with core dysfunction. You can see DRa in premature children, stroke victims and even athletes that are you think are fit. My mentor, Joseph Pilates, had Diastasis Recti which widened as he aged. He had what is referred to as a functional diastasis. Diastasis Recti, just like obesity, has many paths. 

A diastasis is seen in repetitive sports like golf and hockey and in jobs that perform the same repetitive task, like my UPS man who for 20 years moved boxes in the same pattern-twisting way, not mindful of his twisting. He created a diastasis from repetitive movement. Then it snowballed into back and hip pain. He gained weight and he gained it in his abs.

The number of people who have a diastasis is rising just like obesity!

If you've had a diastasis for some times you gain weight in abdominals. That's common.

Being obese will most of the time create a diastasis.

You might have a diastasis?

Not trying to frighten you but consider a few things?

1. Do you use your core? Has it changed?
2. Do you gain weight in your abdominals?
3. Do you have coning or doming? (An area that pops out, up or in when you lift, bend, or in flexion, breath, or move)?
4. Do you find that no matter what you do, that your core does not move or activate, (carry the load)?
5. Learn the Rec Check. An assessment often used in testing DRa. This is an insurance developed assessment using your fingers. Nonetheless it's what we use as a detector of DRa until a doctor's confirmation, measuring the width, length and depth and the consistency of the connective tissue line.
6. Seek out confirmation from your doctor.

When a diastasis is created, it becomes a weak link or a fault line of your body that creates other issues over time. You move less, while movement becomes less of a priority. Less movement equates to a shorter, more painful life span.

Obesity causes you to have weak links or fault lines of the body as well, from physical ailments, diseases, movement issues, and a ton of conditions that shorten your life. When we are discovering why you have a diastasis there is usually more than one reason and when you are heavy, your obesity is due to more that one reason – usually a combination of genetics, or sedentary lifestyle/movement issues or unhealthy eating patterns.

Obesity is soaring! 3 million plus reported each year! Obesity in our children is rising. Ages 2 to 5 has doubled and teens ages 13 to 19 has quadruples. If you are obese as a child, you have a 50% chance of becoming an obese adult. Obese at 19 years of age means a 90% chance of being obese as an adult! DRa is growing as well. It's more common in adults, but children are now being identified with DRa.

In other words, obesity and DRa does not discriminate. Nutrition plays a huge part in both obesity and DRa. If 90% of obese people get DRa it is a connective tissue issue or fascia and what you feed your body does impact fascia and muscle development, hormone production and overall health. Our children's nutrition is declining in the US.

If you haven't visited a public school lunchroom. I challenge you to go for 5 consecutive days. The food we are giving our children and it's lack of nutritional value is contributing to our country's biggest epidemic.

We start there at school and condition our children's bodies to eat poor quality food, then add a family's stress level, hectic lifestyle, with both parents working due to economics all equates to a serious health issue. That in itself will contribute to problems in health, connective tissue and obesity.

A commonality that I'm beginning to see in the movement and Pilates field is the connection between obesity and Diastasis Recti and their connection is very much like the concept of the chicken and egg, because we can't determine which one came first.

DRa and the lack of connection and pain it causes can evolve in you becoming obese and being obese will most of the time cause a diastasis.

Another commonality that both share is thata people generally learn to live with obesity and DRa. Sad, but true. Those that give up and take an "I'll live with it" attitude suffer and regret not making better choices.

We have a tendency to focus on the effects of these two issue – like the diseases that obesity creates and the pain and biomechanical problems that DRa creates, but obesity and DRa are similar in hope in finding ways.

Fight fat and the gap. There is science, research and education that are becoming more geared to finding the causes of both as opposed to researching the effects so diligently. This is in order to better understand the preventive sides of both. Which is brining hope to the table. Hope of better health and fitness. This can be through…

1. Discovering Preventative Paths – in finding ways to better balance in your body and world. You end up treating and finding answers to the cause as opposed to putting time and money into the effects of both obesity and DRa. There is a study of medicine called Obesity Medicine. They are a group that are like body detectives in finding all the keys so your body is better balanced, reduce weight and keep it off. They are the ones that produced research that says consistent movement is what assists you at keeping weight maintained. I thought movement helped you primarily to reduce weight. Don't get me wrong, movement at any time is beneficial when it's the correct movement. If you are obese, these doctors create paths for success. Obesity Medicine Association is one. The same thing exists with Diastasis Recti. More and more people are discovering that they have diastasis through information and DRa can be successfully treated through finding the BODY'S balance through correct movement. There are discoveries that is closing the gap too (Dr. Kathryn Debroinow). One being Emsculpt. Emsculpt is a body contouring device that cuts fat and strengthens muscles and seals DRa in 28% of its clientele. Science is moving. We are establishing more talented doctors and physical therapists who are paving a movement path, finding the missing keys that teaches us how to find overall balance in the body – that equals success.
2. Awareness – Science also reveals that AWARENESS is becoming a vital part of the keys to successfully winning the battle over excessive fat and the gap. Research shows that when you participate in awareness groups or support groups you can increase your changes significantly in keeping the weight off and the gap closed and maintained. Become aware of how to better your body and by eating better, move smarter and focus on health more.
3. Ability to remain CONSISTENT in your change and awareness. To be successful from beginning to end – research shows that stepping up to the plate literally every day in making change, making better choices, in lifestyles, diet and movement. Not being consistent has strong results of going back of being heavier and moving less.

 

When you make change, keeping it can sometimes be another battle, but winning the war is what it's all about.

Thanks for joining me today. What can you do to make change to better you today? If you are wondering if you might have DRa, check out our pdf, Diastasis Recti Protocol Guide or contact Restoring Cores. We can help you find a trained movement specialists or physical therapist to seal and maintain your DRa. It's what Restoring Cores does! Join us next week when we have Mary Bond, a movement legend, with us discussing Everyday Movement and Parental Posture!