Diastasis recti

How it works

The rectus abdominis is the long flat muscle at the front of the belly, the one that shows as a six-pack². It is two muscles side by side, joined down the middle by a band of tough tissue called the linea alba³. The gap between the two halves is normally narrow, about the width of a finger or less above the navel¹.

During pregnancy the growing uterus pushes outward and hormones soften connective tissue. The linea alba stretches and the two halves drift apart¹. This is normal. Some degree of separation is found in nearly all women by the end of pregnancy¹. After birth the gap usually narrows over months. In about a third of women it is still wider than normal a year later¹.

Men and non-pregnant women get it too, most often with a large belly or after abdominal surgery. Newborns often have a visible gap that closes on its own¹.

The usual sign is a soft ridge or dome down the middle of the belly when you lift your head from lying down, or when you strain¹.

Try it

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Put the fingertips of one hand on the midline of your belly, just above the navel, pointing toward your feet.
3. Lift your head and shoulders a little, as if starting a sit-up, and press your fingers gently down.
4. Feel for the edges of the two muscle halves on either side of your fingers. Count how many fingers fit in the gap.
5. Repeat just below the navel. A gap of two fingers or more is usually counted as a separation¹.

Is it a problem?

For most people, no. The muscle is not torn. The band between the halves has stretched. It does not hurt on its own and it often improves with time and with exercises that work the deep belly muscles¹. Sit-ups and crunches can push the gap wider and are usually not advised. See a doctor if the bulge is painful, cannot be pushed back in, or if you are unsure whether it is a separation or a hernia. A hernia is a different problem, where tissue pokes through a hole, and it needs a proper check.