Diastasis recti is when the left and right sides of the outermost abdominal muscle become separated. These muscles work to provide support for the back and several organs. Strong rectus abdominal muscles keep the core strong and limber. Fibrous connective tissue, known as the linea alba, connects the recti muscles together. When the muscles separate, the tissue often stretches sideways.
All women, men, and even children are at risk of muscle separation. In fact, everyone is born with their abdominal muscles separated. Whether the muscles close is dependent on the amount of force of pressure created by the connective tissue that joins the outermost muscles.
Even if the muscles close, there’s always the risk of separating again, especially if there’s a continuous force on the connective tissue. Force can be caused by various factors, including:
The most common cause of diastasis recti is pregnancy. However, the condition can be diagnosed in anyone.
Though the condition sounds painful, diastasis recti is usually painless. In some people, the condition can cause discomfort, appearance, and difficulty doing certain activities, such as those that involve the core muscles.
A person with diastasis recti may experience:
Another common symptom is doming or tenting in the middle of the stomach. This typically occurs when rolling over in bed or lifting something.
There are many non-surgical treatment options to heal abdominal separation. One of the most innovative and minimally invasive treatments is PRP injections. This treatment uses the magical fluid flowing through your body: blood!
The blood is nothing short of magical. It supplies oxygen, hormones, and sugar to cells. Blood also removes waste and impurities from the cells. It also contains platelets, which provide excellent healing capabilities.
PRP injections use platelet-rich plasma that works within the body to restore the abdominal muscles to a healthy condition. The treatment uses your own blood to heal your body.
Patients can undergo PRP injections each month for 3-4 months. The length of time needed to heal your diastasis recti depends on the severity of the muscle separation as well as your age and other conditions.
Routine follow-up injections may be needed to prevent abdominal muscle separation in the future.
After undergoing PRP injections, you’ll benefit from:
For women who plan to get pregnant in the future, PRP injections used to treat diastasis recti can also provide more effective pushing during labor.
Creating PRP is simple and painless. It’s an in-office procedure that requires a blood draw that takes no longer than 30 minutes. After your blood is drawn, it’s placed into a centrifuge machine that separates the concentrated platelets from red blood cells. Once separated, the concentrated platelet-rich plasma is ready to be used.
PRP injection process takes no more than an hour, including the separation process above. PRP is collected and injected into the abdominal region to target the linea alba.
Generally speaking, PRP injections aren’t painful. Patients may experience a small amount of pain after the procedure, but the discomfort should subside within a matter of days.
Dr. Shounuck Patel, DO is a leader in the field of orthopedic regenerative medicine.
Have you been diagnosed with diastasis recti? Looking to repair your abdominal muscles without going under the knife? If so, PRP injections are an effective option. PRP for diastasis recti is a minimally invasive, non-surgical method for curing mummy tummy and guy gut. PRP injections use the body’s natural healing process to heal damaged connective tissue while promoting repair and accelerating healing.
Want to learn more about our revolutionary non-surgical diastasis recti repair? We service Los Angeles County, Orange County and San Diego County. For more information contact our patient concierge at info@fxregencenter.com or call us at (310) 929-9790.
