diastasis recti, what it is and how to recognize it
diastasis recti, what is it?
The diastasis recti or rectus abdominis diastasis abdominal originates in the defibration, thinning of the thickness and enlargement of the surface of the linea alba.
linea alba is the flat tendon used to keep the two rectus abdominis muscles close and aligned.
The two rectus muscles therefore separate, and the restraining effect of the abdominal wall is lost to varying degrees depending on the extent of muscle separation.
Loss of the restraining effect of the abdominal wall is the origin of the symptoms of diastasis recti.
diastasis recti, why does it occur?
linea alba is composed mainly of connective tissue organized, at the microscopic level, into a complex architectural weave suitable for bearing intense physical loads.
However, in some situations such as pregnancy, rapid weight gain, or excessive physical/sports load, irreversible weakening of its component fibers may occur.
This occurs due tooverstretching of tendon fibers caused byincreased abdominal volume or excessive and repeated physical exertion.
It is also likely that in the etiopathogenesis of diastasis recti there is also congenital impairment of collagen strength and elasticity.
This would explain why with the same clinical conditions some individuals develop diastasis and others do not, or even the numerous cases of familial cases of the condition
diastasis recti, how to recognize it
The majority of patients with this condition are women after pregnancy, although there is a considerable percentage of men and women who develop the condition as a result of excessive physical/sports load.
Symptoms of abdominal distasis are well defined and the signs are often clearly visible externally.
Therefore, several patients, even before going to a proper specialist examination, practiceself-assessment with some degree of reliability.
Signs and symptoms of diastasis recti
The three cardinal symptoms of abdominal distasis are:
- Abnormal postprandial abdominal bloating
- Lumbar spine pain
- Incomplete bladder emptying disorders
In addition to the typical sign of diastasis consisting of abdominal midline deformity , visible under stress, as described in the chapter Of the self-assessment whose reading is invited.
Abnormal postprandial abdominal bloating
Abnormal postprandial abdominal bloating typical of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles is caused by structural failure of the abdominal wall.
Because the rectus muscles are separated and cannot exert their normal restraining function, even minimal gastric fillingis sufficient to disproportionately expand the overall abdominal volume.
Being in orthostasis the abdominal volume is greatly increased compared to supine position often reminding of the shape of the abdomen in pregnancy.
Lumbar spine pain
The lumbar segment of the spine is negatively affected by the functional deficit of the abdominal wall.
There is in fact an important balance between the back and abdominal muscle group , which in this pathology comes out of balance in favor of the back muscles.
Therefore, there is an accentuation of lumbar lordosis origin of poor posture and recurrent low back pain.
Incomplete bladder emptying disorders
Often those with rectus abdominis diastasis abdominal complaints also present urinary sphere dysfunction mainly related to poor contractility of the abdominal wall.
Due to theoverall contractile ineffectiveness of the abdominal wall with rectus abdominis diastasis, incomplete 'bladder emptying may occur.
diastasis recti: blemishes
Diastasis is manifested by an increase in abdominal volume in disharmony with body proportions.
There is often a visible deformity during some physical exertion at the midline. The umbilicus becomes everted and prominent due to the loss of its implantation base at the linea alba and umbilical hernias frequently associated with the condition.
Also very frequently we find excess, weakened and thinned skin as well as numerous stretch marks, especially in the periumbilical region and lower abdominal quadrants.
diastasis recti, the surgical technique we prefer
Therapy of diastasis is essentially surgical because the injured linea alba cannot regenerate independently.
In the panorama of available techniques , our preference is on the robotic R-Tapp whose we invite you to read the specific chapter and to the viewing of the movie below.
