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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Pregnancy and becoming a mother is one of the most exciting times in a woman’s life. Besides all the hormonal and physiological changes affecting women during this period, probably the most obvious morphological alteration during pregnancy is the increasing weight and dimensions of the uterus, influencing maternal trunk musculoskeletal morphology, particularly the abdominal musculature. Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA), or increased inter rectus distance (IRD), is characterized by the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles. It has its onset during pregnancy and the first weeks following childbirth. The lack of evidence for the consequences of this condition and the effect of abdominal strengthening exercises in the reduction of DRA indicates a need for identification of the prevalence and risk factors of DRA. This chapter will cover the anatomy and reliability of the methods for the assessment of the morphology of the abdominal wall, describe DRA prevalence, and risk factors, and provide an overview of the response on the IRD induced by two typical strengthening exercises: the drawing in and abdominal crunch exercises.
Description
Keywords
Physiotherapy Rehabilitation Pregnancy Abdominal wall Diastasis recti abdominis Inter rectus distance
Citation
Mota P. Alterations of the abdominal wall during pregnancy. In: Gomes-Ferreira M, Olivas-Menayo J, editors. Post-maternity body changes. Cham: Springer; 2023. p. 355-65.
Publisher
Springer