Curl-up exercises improve abdominal muscle strength without worsening inter-recti distance in women with diastasis recti abdominis postpartum: a randomised controlled trial.

Question: What is the effect of a 12-week, home-based, abdominal exercise program containing head lifts and abdominal curl-ups on inter-recti distance (IRD) in women with diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) 6 to 12 months postpartum? What is the effect of the program on: observed abdominal movement during a curl-up; global perceived change; rectus abdominis thickness; abdominal muscle strength and endurance; pelvic floor disorders; and low back, pelvic girdle and abdominal pain?

Design: This was a two-arm, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis.

Participants: Seventy primiparous or multiparous women 6 to 12 months postpartum, having a single or multiple pregnancy following any mode of delivery, with a diagnosis of DRA (IRD > 28 mm at rest or > 25 mm during a curl-up).

Intervention: The experimental group was prescribed a 12-week standardised exercise program including head lifts, abdominal curl-ups and twisted abdominal curl-ups 5 days a week.

Immediate Effect of Abdominal and Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises on Interrecti Distance in Women With Diastasis Recti Abdominis Who Were Parous.

Objective: There is a lack of consensus on which abdominal or pelvic floor muscle (PFM) exercises to recommend for the treatment of diastasis recti abdominis (DRA). The objective of this study was to investigate the immediate effect of abdominal and PFM exercises on interrecti distance (IRD) in women with DRA who are parous.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 38 women who were parous, with a mean age of 36.