Can You Make
Diastasis Recti Worse?
One imperfect movement will not ruin your recovery. But repeating exercises or daily habits that create more pressure than your core can manage may make doming, discomfort, or instability more noticeable. Here are seven common mistakes—and what to do instead.
Yes—but probably not in the way you think.
Can you make diastasis recti worse? Symptoms can become more noticeable if you repeatedly perform movements that create more pressure than your abdominal wall can currently manage. However, one crunch, cough, lift, or imperfect movement is unlikely to permanently worsen diastasis recti.
What matters more is the pattern: repeatedly exceeding your current capacity, continuing through pain or pronounced uncontrolled doming, holding your breath under strain, or progressing faster than your strength and coordination allow.
- Fearing every crunch or plank
- Ignoring breathing and pressure
- Training only the visible abs
- Progressing too quickly—or never progressing
- Following random workouts
- Forgetting daily movement patterns
- Chasing the gap instead of function
The reassuring part is that these patterns can usually be changed. A gradual, symptom-guided plan can help rebuild strength, coordination, and confidence—even if you are months or years postpartum.
Maybe you noticed a ridge down the middle of your abdomen during a sit-up. Perhaps your stomach pushes outward when you get out of bed. Or maybe someone warned you that crunches, planks, lifting, or even getting up “the wrong way” could make your separation worse.
That can make everyday movement feel scary. But diastasis recti is not simply a tear that suddenly “rips open” when you move. It describes an increased distance between the two sides of the rectus abdominis along the linea alba, the connective tissue at the center of the abdominal wall. Exercise is commonly used as a conservative rehabilitation approach, but research does not support one universal routine as best for every postpartum woman.
What is diastasis recti?
Diastasis recti abdominis—often shortened to DRA—is an increased distance between the two sides of the rectus abdominis along the linea alba, the connective tissue running down the center of the abdomen. Pregnancy naturally stretches this area as the uterus grows.
After birth, the tissue may remain wider, thinner, or less able to transfer force efficiently. Some women notice visible doming. Others notice weakness, reduced trunk control, or difficulty managing pressure during lifting. Still others have a measurable gap without meaningful symptoms.
The width of the gap is only one part of the picture. Function, midline tension, breathing, symptoms, strength, and your ability to complete daily tasks all matter too.
Can diastasis recti actually get worse?
Symptoms can become more noticeable when your abdominal wall repeatedly struggles to manage the pressure created by a task. You may see more bulging, feel less stable, or develop discomfort. However, it is misleading to say that one particular exercise automatically widens the gap or permanently damages the linea alba.
Curl-ups are a good example. They often appear on permanent “never do” lists, yet a randomized controlled trial found that a program containing curl-ups improved abdominal strength and muscle thickness without worsening inter-rectus distance or pelvic-floor symptoms.
Treating every crunch, plank, or sit-up as permanently dangerous
Avoiding an exercise forever can be just as limiting as returning to it too early. Crunches, planks, and other demanding movements are not automatically harmful. The concern is whether the exercise is currently too difficult for you to perform without losing control.
Modify the movement when you notice pronounced doming that does not improve with a change in breathing or position, pelvic pressure, leaking, pain, breath-holding, or symptoms that remain worse after the workout.
Ignoring breathing and pressure management
Your abdominal wall, diaphragm, back muscles, and pelvic floor work together to manage pressure. Holding your breath during a difficult movement can sharply increase intra-abdominal pressure. Pressure is not always bad—your body uses it for stability—but it must match your current capacity.
Many women find it easier to exhale during the hardest part of a movement. Breathe out as you stand, lift the stroller, or complete the effort phase of an exercise. You do not need to pull your stomach in forcefully all day; think responsive, not rigid.
Focusing only on the visible abdominal muscles
Diastasis recti is often described as an “ab problem,” but the trunk works as a system. Your diaphragm regulates pressure. Your pelvic floor supports the organs. Your hips and glutes help transfer force. Your back muscles contribute stability.
A complete progression may include breathing, pelvic-floor coordination, gentle abdominal work, hip and glute strength, carrying, squatting, walking, and eventually heavier or higher-impact activity.
Progressing too quickly—or never progressing at all
A practical progression changes one variable at a time: repetitions, range, resistance, body position, speed, or complexity. Jumping from breathing drills directly into a high-volume bootcamp may be too large a leap. Staying with the easiest exercises for months when they are no longer challenging can also hold you back.
Consider progressing when you can breathe normally, maintain control, avoid new leaking or pressure, recover well afterward, and complete the current version steadily.
Following random workouts without a clear progression
A collection of unrelated videos is not the same as a recovery plan. One instructor says to pull your belly in constantly. Another says to avoid all flexion. A third jumps straight into planks without explaining how to scale them.
A useful program should show where to begin, how to modify, when to pause, how to progress, and how exercises connect to lifting, carrying, walking, and returning to fitness.
Forgetting that daily movement is part of recovery
A ten-minute workout matters, but so do getting out of bed, lifting the baby, folding the stroller, carrying the car seat, and getting up from the floor. You do not need perfect posture or a tightly braced core every second.
- Bring the baby or object closer before lifting.
- Exhale through the hardest part.
- Use your legs and hips.
- Change positions regularly.
- Start walking with a duration that feels manageable.
Chasing a smaller gap while ignoring strength and function
It is understandable to measure the distance and hope to see it shrink. But rehabilitation research is inconsistent, measurement methods vary, and a smaller number does not automatically equal better function.
You may be making meaningful progress if you lift more comfortably, walk farther, exercise without leaking, control doming more effectively, or feel steadier during everyday tasks—even if the gap has not disappeared.
How do you know if an exercise may be too much right now?
An exercise may be too demanding at your current stage if it repeatedly causes symptoms you cannot improve by changing your breathing, position, range, resistance, or pace. That does not automatically mean the exercise is “bad” or permanently off-limits. It may simply need to be scaled.
- Pronounced or uncontrolled doming or bulging through the midline
- Pelvic heaviness or pressure
- Urinary or bowel leakage
- Abdominal, back, or pelvic pain
- Breath-holding or straining you cannot comfortably avoid
- Symptoms that remain noticeably worse after the workout
- Loss of control as repetitions, load, or fatigue increase
What actually helps diastasis recti recovery?
Current evidence supports postpartum abdominal exercise as a potentially helpful part of rehabilitation, but there is no single exercise proven to be best for everyone. A sensible approach is individualized, progressive, and focused on function as well as anatomy.
| Instead of… | Try… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding every difficult exercise forever | Scaling it to a version you control | Builds capacity without unnecessary fear |
| Holding your breath | Exhaling through effort | May make pressure easier to manage |
| Training only abs | Whole-body strength and coordination | Prepares you for real-life tasks |
| Random workouts | A structured progression | Creates a clear path forward |
| Checking the gap daily | Tracking function and symptoms | Keeps recovery meaningful |
A simple progression
- Reconnect: breathing and gentle coordination.
- Build control: supported marches, heel slides, bridges, and carries.
- Add resistance: bands, weights, longer levers, and functional strength.
- Return to goals: impact, running, heavier lifting, or sport as capacity allows.
When should you get professional help?
Ask an obstetric clinician, primary-care provider, or pelvic-health physical therapist for an assessment if you have persistent pain, significant pelvic pressure, urinary or bowel leakage, a suspected hernia, difficulty with daily tasks, or symptoms that worsen despite modifying your routine.
Frequently asked questions
Can coughing or sneezing make diastasis recti worse?
A single cough or sneeze is unlikely to permanently worsen it. Repeated coughing may make bulging more visible. Exhale rather than holding your breath and seek care for a persistent cough.
Can lifting my baby make it worse?
Caring for your baby does not need to be feared. Bring the baby close, use your legs and hips, exhale during the lift, and ask for help when fatigued or symptomatic.
Are crunches bad for diastasis recti?
Not automatically. Research has found that curl-up programs can improve strength without worsening inter-rectus distance, although they may be too demanding early in recovery for some people.
Can planks make it worse?
Planks are demanding, not universally forbidden. Try a wall, counter, bench, knees-down, or shorter-duration version if a full plank causes uncontrolled doming, pain, leaking, or pressure.
Does a belly binder heal diastasis recti?
A binder may provide temporary comfort, but it should not replace progressive rehabilitation. Evidence comparing binding with exercise remains limited and inconsistent.
Can it improve years after pregnancy?
Yes. Strength, control, symptoms, and confidence can improve months or years later, even when the anatomical gap does not fully close.
Is walking good for diastasis recti?
Walking can support conditioning and a gradual return to activity. Start comfortably and adjust speed, incline, or distance if pain, heaviness, leaking, or other symptoms increase.
Research and medical references
This article was written for general education using peer-reviewed postpartum rehabilitation research and professional medical guidance. Because diastasis recti research varies in definitions, measurement methods, study populations, and exercise protocols, the article avoids presenting one exercise or one gap measurement as a universal answer.
- Beamish NF, et al. Impact of postpartum exercise on pelvic floor disorders and diastasis recti abdominis. 2025. PubMed.
- Skoura A, et al. Diastasis Recti Abdominis Rehabilitation in the Postpartum Period. 2024. PubMed.
- Gluppe SB, et al. Curl-up exercises improve abdominal muscle strength without worsening inter-recti distance. 2023. PubMed.
- Gluppe SB, et al. Immediate effect of abdominal and pelvic floor muscle exercises on interrecti distance. 2020. PubMed.
- Thabet AA, Alshehri MA. Efficacy of deep core stability exercise in postpartum women. 2019. PubMed.
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Optimizing Postpartum Care. ACOG.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for general education and is not a diagnosis or individualized treatment plan. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about pain, pelvic-floor symptoms, suspected hernia, complications after delivery, or returning to exercise.
Healing your core should not feel like guesswork.
Start with our free guide for a low-pressure introduction—or compare structured postpartum recovery programs when you are ready for a step-by-step plan.