It is difficult to know exactly how many people suffer from rectus diastasis, i.e. abdominal muscle division, says physiotherapist Lina Dalenius.
– Far from everyone seeks care, so there is a large number of people in the dark. But it is very common, she says.
Between 30 and 60 percent
According to a review of the available research done by SBU, the State’s preparation for medical and social evaluation, between 30 to 60 percent of all women who have been pregnant have a rectus diastasis of three centimeters or more in the year after childbirth.
– Not everyone with abdominal muscle division is bothered by it. And everyone who searches with discomfort does not have abdominal muscle division. A person with a three-centimeter separation can function without problems, while a woman with just a small gap can have huge problems. So the most important thing is not really the gap between the abdominal muscles, but how you feel and function, says Lina Dalenius.
Effective with exercise
She says time helps. And properly targeted training, against the deep abdominal muscles. For a few women, surgery is needed.
– My experience says that training helps the vast majority of people. And there are physiotherapists specializing in women in basically the entire country. There is so much more knowledge about this now than when I started in 2009. But the effect also depends on how diligent the patient is in doing the exercises.
See the whole woman
After working with new mothers for almost 15 years, Lina Dalenius says that her most important lesson is that you need to help the woman with so much more than just looking at her abdominal muscles.
– You may need help finding sleeping positions that work. And encourage these proud women to get help, for example to be able to exercise or sleep. Sharing sleepless nights with your partner. Because if you are not allowed to sleep, it is more difficult for the body to heal.
