After nine months of stretching during pregnancy, it’s common for the belly muscles to separate, known as diastasis recti.
This separation weakens the core and causes new moms’ appearance and daily activities issues.
Exercising alone might not fix this easily, but there are now solutions like Emsculpt NEO, providing an effective way for women to recover after having a baby.
What is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti happens when the muscles in the belly, called rectus abdominis, separate.
These muscles, which run from the ribs to the pubic bone, can split during pregnancy.
Hormones make the tissue in the middle, called linea alba, softer to give space for the growing uterus.
If this tissue stretches too much, it creates a gap between the muscles, breaking their connection.
Common Causes During & After Pregnancy
The uterus expanding exponentially puts intense outward pressure on abdominal muscles for months.
In the third trimester, this force is equivalent to a 7-pound medicine ball resting on the belly daily.
Diastasis recti develop due to hormones plus mechanical strain from weight and muscle stretching.
Post-birth, remaining baby weight, inelastic skin, and gravity continue pulling muscles apart as they try to bounce back.
Rates of diastasis recti range from 30 to 70% during the final trimester, decreasing to 15 to 62% at 6 weeks postpartum and 32 to 39% at 6 months after delivery.
Associated Symptoms & Impacts
A diastasis recti gap leaves abdominal contents unsupported, causing:
- Back pain due to improper load transfer
- Core weakness and pelvic instability
- Hernias from high intra-abdominal pressure
- Urinary stress incontinence
- Poor posture, breathing, and lumbopelvic coordination
- Protruding pregnant-appearing belly despite weight loss
If diastasis recti continues, it can make everyday activities and sports harder.
Emotionally, it can also make many women feel bad about their bodies for a long time after giving birth.
Risks of Leaving Diastasis Recti Untreated
If significant inter-recti distance (2.7 cm or greater from midline) goes unaddressed, consequences intensify over time, including:
- Increased load on the spine causing faster degeneration
- Ongoing core instability and pelvic floor dysfunction
- Higher incidence of hernias or pelvic organ prolapse
- Worsening stress urinary incontinence
- Decreased quality of life from related issues
Studies show 77% of women with diastasis recti have stress urinary incontinence and 47% have fecal incontinence — highlighting why early treatment should be prioritized postpartum.
Traditional Treatment Limitations
New mothers are often told “stay active and wait for tissues to heal” after delivery. Indeed, core-focused exercise helps strengthen muscles secondarily to support the area.
However, when inter-rectus gaps measure over 2.5 cm, studies show exercise alone usually does not fully close diastasis at the midline unless combined with expert therapeutic techniques.
Specific biomechanical disadvantages of isolated exercise:
- May reinforce unbalanced contraction patterns
- Fails to evert tissue edges for cohesion
- Can’t overcome pathologic fibrosis development
- Risks bulging if pressing midline before fused
Fortunately, cutting-edge treatments now complement rehabilitation to correct diastasis recti faster so women can reclaim core strength and function sooner.
How Emsculpt NEO Works
Emsculpt NEO uses special energy to help muscles and burn fat. This energy makes muscles work harder, making them stronger and closing gaps in the belly muscles.
It also warms the tissue, getting rid of fat cells. In 30-minute sessions, patients feel their ab muscles working while the device is on their upper and lower abs.
Benefits Of Exercise Alone
Clinical studies on Emsculpt NEO for diastasis recti demonstrate significant advantages over exercise alone, with over 6 times greater improvement in muscle definition, strength, and gap closure after 4 sessions.
Key perks include:
- Seamlessly fuses linea alba back together
- Stimulates growth of new muscle cells
- Strengthens entire core, unlike crunches
- Burns subcutaneous fat hiding muscle definition
- Requires zero effort, just 5 hours total
What Happens During and After Sessions
In the 30-minute sessions, patients lie comfortably while the applicators make the muscles contract and warm up the belly without pain.
After each session, you might feel some mild muscle soreness, like after a good workout, for a day or two.
Ultrasound images show gradual muscle and diastasis improvements with each session.
You’ll notice clear positive changes, like tighter and stronger muscles, allowing you to return to your usual activities with more strength and endurance.
Number of Sessions Usually Needed
Doctors suggest getting 4 Emsculpt NEO treatments for diastasis recti, with two weeks between sessions for the best results in closing gaps and growing muscles.
After that, maintenance treatments are recommended once a year or after future pregnancies. Some doctors combine these treatments with other therapies for even better results.
However, using Emsculpt NEO alone can significantly improve your abdominal strength over several years.
Candidacy & Safety Considerations
Emsculpt NEO is safe for women who are done having children and don’t have any major health issues.
It’s suitable for those with good overall health without pacemakers, pregnancy, or specific medical conditions.
If needed, mild prescription pain medication can be used to ease any discomfort as the ab muscles get used to the treatment in the first couple of sessions.
Additional Complementary Therapies
Emsculpt NEO makes your core muscles stronger. It works even better when you use it with other treatments like myofascial release, TENS stimulation, therapeutic taping, breathing exercises, and expert advice on how to move correctly.
Some programs also teach you how to walk right, activate certain muscles, and do specific stretches along with Emsculpt to recover from diastasis recti fully.
Conclusion
If you’re a mom dealing with core problems after childbirth, finding a good treatment for diastasis recti is really important.
Emsculpt NEO is a new way to strengthen your core and close the gap in your muscles simultaneously.
Using it, along with other therapies, gives moms the best chance to fully heal from the separation of abdominal muscles caused by pregnancy.
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