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his study aims to evaluate the effect of an exercise program in postpartum women with diastasis recti, defined as an inter-rectus distance greater than 2 cm at any of three ultrasound measurement points . Participants will be divided into two groups: an intervention group that will follow a 6-week exercise program and a control group that will receive usual care.
Ultrasound assessment of the linea alba will be performed before the intervention and after 6 weeks. The main outcomes will be inter-rectus distance and the stiffness of the linea alba measured using shear wave elastography, along with obstetric and personal clinical variables. Participants will be recruited from primary care centers in the Community of Madrid through midwives during postpartum consultations.
In this study, the effect of an exercise program on postpartum women with diastasis will be evaluated. Diastasis will be defined as an inter-rectus distance greater than 2 cm at any of the points assessed by ultrasound (5 cm above the navel, at the level of the navel, and 2 cm below the navel).
Participants will be divided into two groups: one group will receive an exercise program for 6 weeks, while the other group will serve as the control group, receiving usual care. An ultrasound assessment of the linea alba will be performed before the start of the study and after 6 weeks.
The main variables evaluated will be inter-rectus distance and the stiffness of the linea alba measured by shear wave elastography, in addition to obstetric and personal variables obtained from the medical history. Participants will be recruited from primary care centers in the Community of Madrid through midwives during postpartum consultations.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise group | Experimental | This group follows an exercise program for 6 weeks. |
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| Control group | No Intervention | This group does not follow the exercise program and continues with their usual care through the public healthcare system, which does not include any intervention for diastasis. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise program | Other | Structured therapeutic exercise program aimed at restoring functional integritu of the abdominal-lumbo-pelvic complex over a six week period. The exercise program was based on activation of the transversus abdominis muscle, synergistic co-activation with the pelvic floor muscles, breathing re-education, and the integration of hypopressive abdominal exercises. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Interrectus distance | This group does not follow the exercise program and continues with their usual care through the public healthcare system, which does not include any intervention for diastasis. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks. |
| Stiffness of the linea Alba | CopilotThe stiffness of the linea alba will be measured at three points (5 cm above the navel, at the level of the navel, and 2 cm below the navel) using shear wave elastography. | From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks. |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iria Da Cuña Carrera, Physiotherapy | Contact | +34 986801750 | iriadc@uvigo.es |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternatal center | Madrid | Spain |
|
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38860113 | Background | Wang L, Yun T, Zhang D, Zhong J, Yi D, Fu W, Li M, Zhang Y, Wang Y. A prospective study of two-dimensional ultrasonography combined with shear wave elastography for pregnancy-related diastasis recti abdominis. Front Physiol. 2024 May 27;15:1382982. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1382982. eCollection 2024. | |
| 36402542 | Background |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| C567402 | Diastasis Recti And Weakness Of The Linea Alba |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D055070 | Resistance Training |
| D005081 | Exercise Therapy |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012046 | Rehabilitation |
| D000359 | Aftercare |
| D003266 | Continuity of Patient Care |
| D005791 | Patient Care |
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| Garcia Gonzalez P, Escoda Menendez S, Meana Moris AR. Elastography in musculoskeletal imaging: A tool or a toy? Radiologia (Engl Ed). 2022 Nov-Dec;64(6):566-572. doi: 10.1016/j.rxeng.2021.08.003. |
| 40489856 | Background | de Oliveira LC, de Almeida LIM, Lucio MCF, Campos Junior JF, de Oliveira RG. Effects of conservative approaches for treating diastasis recti abdominis in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jun 6;104(23):e42723. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000042723. |
| 40653396 | Background | Canamero-de Leon S, Soto-Gonzalez M, Da Cuna-Carrera I, Pascoal AG. Using Shear Wave Elastography for Morphofunctional Analysis of Abdominal Muscles: A Scoping Review. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2025 Oct;51(10):1629-1638. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2025.04.016. Epub 2025 Jul 12. |
| 41239353 | Background | Huang M, Huang Z, Huang H. Precision medicine exploration of postpartum rectus abdominis muscle separation: from basic research to clinical practice. BMC Surg. 2025 Nov 14;25(1):550. doi: 10.1186/s12893-025-03285-x. |
| 30913968 | Background | Beamish N, Green N, Nieuwold E, McLean L. Differences in Linea Alba Stiffness and Linea Alba Distortion Between Women With and Without Diastasis Recti Abdominis: The Impact of Measurement Site and Task. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019 Sep;49(9):656-665. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.8543. Epub 2019 Mar 26. |
| D013812 |
| Therapeutics |
| D026741 | Physical Therapy Modalities |
| D064797 | Physical Conditioning, Human |
| D015444 | Exercise |
| D009043 | Motor Activity |
| D009068 | Movement |
| D009142 | Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena |
| D055687 | Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena |