Bella Bellies Approach to Checking for a Diastasis Rectus Abdominus (DRA)

This is a unique approach to determining diastasis rectus abdominus, please consult with Anne Martens at Bella Bellies, bellabellies.com for further information. Also, go to -> bellabellies.com for information on skype training, the Bella Bellies Book and Teacher Training.

1) Palpating Tissue

• Begin with a deep breath and notice how the tissue falls into the rectus abdominus, sometimes the DRA will be visible without palpation
• Look for the presence of over stretched skin, as the woman in the video has, this is a sign of overstretching of the core
• Begin by pressing into the back of the body, where there has been the least amount of pressure against the tissue.
• Move the hands forward to the front of the body, always pressing down at a 45 degree angle and never pressing directly down against the tissue
• Note where there is the least amount of resistance or no resistance

2) Forward Flexion

• Step one, mentioned above, is the most telling, however there may be some measuring with fingers to determine how far apart the rectus has separated.
• It is important a woman measures with her own fingers, because her fingers are proportional to her body
• It is important to not over check with this method as continous checking with forward flexion may worsen a DRA
• It is important to not press directly down, but rather press down at a 30-45 degree angle
• It is important to not extend too far into forward flexion as this will give a false reading. This is depicted in the video below. As the woman moves farther into forward flexion the gap closes, however there is a significant DRA. 
• The woman in the video has a 4 finger DRA, as she moves further forward into forward flexion she has a false reading of 3,2 and 1 finger separation

3) Hernia

• This is what an umbilical hernia appears as
• The woman in the video is in forward flexion and is coughing
• This requires medical attention