Effectiveness of Abdominal Hypopressive Technique on Diastasis Recti among Postpartum Women

Abstract

Background: Diastasis recti (DR) is the separation of the abdominis rectus muscles in the central region, along
with the white linea, in postpartum women. Less attention given towards the management of DR results in further
complications such as urinary incontinence, descending reproductive organs, both umbilical and abdominal
hernias, low back pain, and pelvic pain.
Purpose: The aim of the study is to find the effectiveness of abdominal hypopressive techniques on diastasis recti
in postpartum women.
Materials and Methods: A total of 44 participants were recruited from the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology, SMCH and randomly assigned into 2 groups- Hypopressive exercise group (n = 22) with the mean
age of 27.22 ± 1.71 years and conventional abdominal exercise group (n = 22) in with mean age of 26.36 ± 2.25 years.
The Digital Vernier caliper and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) version 2.0 were used as outcome measures to
assess the inter recti distance and low back pain at baseline and after 8 weeks. Both therapies were administered
3 times a week for eight weeks.
Results: At the end of the treatment session, both groups showed significant improvement in inter recti distance
and pain, but the participants who underwent hypopressive exercises had statistically (p < 0.05) better results.
Conclusion: The study shows that hypopressive exercises can be utilized to treat individuals with diastasis recti
in postpartum women.