Anyone a physio or can advise on my post partum exercise programme pls

[ishouldgoandtryabitmoredaily]

I paid a exercise instructor for a programme to fix my mum tum. She said I need to gain core stretch and has included some compound exercises like squats, lunges, stability ( like leg slides which is pretty easy) and some balances. That all seems ok... questionable..

Is it ok to do normal planks and side planks, press ups and oblique curls if you have a slight ab separation ( 2 fingers) post partum ? She said to not do to much standard ab work as crunching, but that oblique stuff is ok as will help pull in the separation ? Is this true ?

Some bits I've read online say not to do plank or press ups as is plank
position. My stomach hangs down in this position, but my skin is very loose and stretched so it could just be that . I'm only 5 lbs over my normal weight and baby is six months now. I've been slowly loosing weight as I'm breastfeeding.

Bumping ... anyone ?

Sorry I’m yet to have my baby so this is something I’ll be thinking of in future. But my experience would tell me to be doing similar to when you were later In pregnancy. So planks and push ups from knees rather than full. Interested to see what others with more experience say. Sorry couldn’t be more help!

I'd recommend getting an appointment with a woman's health physio. They will be able to create a DR safe exercise programme for you, making sure you can address any issue properly.

If you've got an ab separation, you don't want to be doing planks or crunches unless you have a 'functional' separation. I agree that a physio may be better - squats and lunges will help if you have the right breathing pattern to help knit your abs back together but going straight into abs work isn't going to do them much good.

Hello, I had similar diastasis recti ab separation. I got told not to do things like that! Pilates is your friend. Things like lying on your back with your spine in mid position, knees up, feet flat, pull your belly button in towards your spine, then extend one leg out away from you moving your heel along the floor. Bring it back. Do the other. Can you do this move without either your lower back raising off the floor, or your abs doming up? If you can't then this is your starting point. You will be able to find videos about recovering from diastasis recti on YouTube. It'll be about keeping good form, using your inner muscles, not about reps and going at it.

If you can do that OK, then you can move to raising you lower legs to table top one at a time. Then on to a double table top and touching toes to ground.

Take a warning from me, I didn't do this and I've ended up with slipped discs that I'm still working with 2yrs later... Do it slow and do it right!

I don’t think oblique exercises will pull in the separation of your rectus abdominis muscles and if all those exercises are included in 1 session I’d say that’s far too many to be doing. You’d be strengthening your muscles in their current position, which will surely reduce the likelihood of the gap reducing.

@sar302 I can't afford a physio 😕 I know the instructor who wrote me a programme via a friend, so they did it for mates rates, a very small fee of £10. i suppose I'm just checking what they said

@Indecisivelurcher great user name ! I've tried google/ Utube but again lots of contradicting information. I'm familiar with Pilates and can do the basic stability stuff, thank you. Lots of Pilates is quite tough on the abs, and I'm not sure how quickly to progress things, I'm not sure leg slides are doing much now. Hence speaking getting a programme done. I expect I got what I paid for.

The advice I got with a similar amount of ab separation was no regular planks but side planks were ok. No crunches but side to side heel taps and oblique curls were ok. I didn't do push ups until later so not sure about them.

Yes agree pilates can murder the abs! I started with a post natal pilates class and it was the instructor there who diagnosed my ab sep.

I went from leg slides to doing too much - ie stopped core work and trained for + did a sprint triathlon... I don't recommend doing that. See comment re slipped discs.

Ok, so first off, I would be wary of exercise instructors giving advice on the subject of DR. Many of them won't have the proper training, and the usual stuff that they teach to build core muscles will not be appropriate for you at the moment, as it will load your core too heavily. You might find a qualified Pilates / yoga instructor (my physio is also a qualified Pilates teacher for example.)

You can access a women's health physio on the NHS via a referral from your GP, and in some boroughs / counties, you can self refer to the service. It doesn't need to cost you anything, but may not be quick given the current circumstances!

In the meantime, I would strongly recommend a group on Facebook called Restore Your Core - it's American based, but has an international following. You will receive excellent advice on there and be able to ask questions, and watch instructional and work out videos.

Have you looked at the Mutu programme? mutusystem.com/

Sorry, it more focused on pelvic floor than DR.

I’m in the same boat OP. Following with interest. Some comments on here have no doubt saved me a lot of future pain/injury as I was about to dive head first into an intensive exercise programme from tomorrow. @sar302 did you pay to do the Restore Your Core programme? Was it worth the cost?

Hi OP, I'm a pre and postnatal fitness coach and have a separate diploma in DR.

It is only safe to do oblique planks if your breathing is controlled performing exercises and you do not dome or cone when doing these. Oblique planks engage your inner core, the transverse abdominis.

I would suggest starting with the following exercises in order to retrain your core function after pregnancy:
pelvic floor lifts on an exhale breath when engaging the TVA,
dead bug,
cat cow,
glute bridge

I would suggest modified press ups ie on knees or upright against a wall to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the DR.

I hope this helps

@NeverEnoughTea I did pay for the program and have dipped in and out of it.

I have prolapses on top of DR (thanks forceps delivery!) and I was also receiving treatment from a physio, and doing clinical Pilates at the same time, so it's hard to separate out exactly how much it helped on its own, if that makes sense? But I know it has helped many people.

I'd recommend a read through of the page before committing. And don't be put off by all the talk of barefoot shoes - you don't have to commit to that extent to see the benefits.

For more free content, the FemFusion channel on you tube is also often highly recommended

@sar302 thanks so much for the info.
I’ll definitely look into it properly before committing. And thanks for the tip about barefoot shoes! Will also give the FemFusion channel a look. Really appreciate your help.

@nuggles thank you
.. my natural state is dead bug 😂 I'm all over this !!

No worries! Finding a decent woman's health physio and subsequent exercises and communities saved my life (I mean that fairly literally given the mental state I was in post partum due to my injuries). I think it's something that all women should have access to after delivery.

If it helps put things into perspective, I have gone from suffering stress incontinence and having such a weak core I couldn't even stand on one leg without falling over, to spending the last 14 weeks following PE with Joe (minus the jumping and crunches, because prolapse!) I can plank, do press ups, do double leg raises etc. I do reformer pilates (outside of lockdown) and barre at the moment. I don't leak when I pick up my 14kg toddler.... oh and I no longer suffer from horrendous PP depression. My life has been completely turned around by appropriate, safe targeted exercise.