PT for diastasis recti—called physiotherapy in the UK and many other places—may help you build abdominal strength and control, and can modestly narrow the gap between the abdominal muscles. It cannot promise to close the gap or resolve every symptom. The gap’s width is only one part of the picture: how your abdominal wall works, whether you have pain or difficulty with daily tasks, and whether a hernia could explain a bulge also matter.
What The Gap Means—and How It Is Assessed
Diastasis recti is a widening and thinning of the connective tissue between the two rectus abdominis muscles, often called the “six-pack” muscles. It commonly develops as the abdomen stretches during pregnancy. Unlike a hernia, diastasis does not itself involve a hole in the abdominal wall, though both conditions can occur together.
There is no universally agreed measurement that defines a clinically important separation. A clinician may examine the abdominal wall and measure the distance between the muscles; ultrasound is a reliable way to assess that distance. A finger-width check at home can give you a rough sense of what you feel, but it cannot establish whether the separation is significant or rule out a hernia. Ask for an assessment if a bulge worries you, particularly if it is focal, persistent, painful, or more noticeable with straining.
What PT For Diastasis Recti Can Assess
A pelvic health or postpartum physiotherapist can look beyond the measurement: how your abdominal muscles coordinate, how you manage effort and breathing, and whether symptoms affect lifting, exercise, or everyday activities. This matters because a smaller gap does not automatically mean better function, and a wider gap does not by itself show how much difficulty you will have.
Exercise programs may include abdominal and pelvic floor muscle work, breathing practice, and functional movement. There is no single proven routine, and claims that you must avoid one specific exercise—such as every curl-up—are not supported by a universal rule. What feels manageable can vary; a physiotherapist can help adapt movements to your symptoms and goals.
What Exercise Can—and Can’t—Improve
Research points to possible improvements in the distance between the muscles, but certainty is limited and studies do not agree on a best program. A 2021 systematic review by Sandra Gluppe, Marie Ellström Engh, and Kari Bø included seven randomized trials with 381 postpartum women. It found very low-quality evidence for specific exercise recommendations, in part because the programs and measurements varied and many participants had mild separation.
A 2026 meta-analysis by S. Capoccia Giovannini and colleagues pooled nine randomized trials with 450 participants and found an average gap reduction of about 8 mm (0.3 in) with structured exercise. But in two trials involving 115 women, exercise did not significantly improve physical disability as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index. That distinction is important: a measurable narrowing is not proof that pain, strength, or daily function will improve by the same amount. The reviews also included different trials and methods, so their estimates should not be treated as a guaranteed result for an individual.
For you, exercise is best viewed as a way to work on strength, control, and practical function—not as a promise to “close” the gap. If an exercise causes pain or makes a bulge more pronounced, pause and discuss it with a clinician or physiotherapist rather than relying on a generic online workout.
When A Bulge Or Pain Needs Evaluation
A midline ridge or bulge during effort can occur with diastasis, but appearance alone cannot confirm the cause. A clinician can assess the abdominal wall and consider whether there is an umbilical or epigastric hernia. Ultrasound or other imaging may be used when a hernia or another cause of symptoms cannot be excluded.
Arrange an assessment for a new or persistent focal bulge, pain, or symptoms that interfere with daily activity. Seek urgent medical care for sudden severe pain or a rapidly worsening bulge. If you are unsure whether what you feel is muscle separation or a hernia, a clinician can help distinguish them. Exercise-based care is commonly used first; decisions about further treatment depend on symptoms and examination, not the gap measurement alone.