Running with Diastasis

Q. Can I run if I have diastasis?

A. There are a lot of women concerned about this. Truth is... running does not actually put a lot of outward pressure on the linea alba. Gravitational forces are going downward not forward. There is a little (and I mean little) bit of twisting motion. It's not going to make a separation worse, but may make it difficult to heal if your core is fairly weak.  In that case...take a break temporarily.  When you are working on shortening the diastasis with exercises/splinting, it is best to wait to run until you've reconditioned your core (between 2-6 weeks).   Often times women are dealing with other core weakness issues postpartum and should wait to run until the core is somewhat strengthened and stabilized and activating well.   If you have a larger belly (greater than 5 months pregnant) there will be a little more outward pressure on the linea alba while running because there is pressure from the growing belly. If you wear a support however, that can greatly reduce any outward and downward stress/pressure.

Here is a chart to help guide you......

 

Running is great exercise and safe with functional diastasis or ab separation as long as you are not dealing with any other issues/injuries.