Does swimming make your diastasis larger?
I am sorry to say that yes it does!
Im Julie Tupler creator of the research and evidence based Tupler Technique program to treat diastasis recti for women, men, and children no matter how you got it or how long you have had it.
I’ve been treating this condition for 30 years now and one thing I know for sure is that swimming is NOT good for a diastasis.
There are two main issues with swimming. The first is that you are putting your belly in a downward facing position. In this position you are putting all the weight of your organs on your week connective tissue. This stretches your weak connective tissue in a forwards direction. Also, when you are swimming you are probably arching your back. Arching your back flares your ribs and this stretches your connective tissue in a sideways direction. After you close your diastasis you can swim but need to not arch your back when you do it. In week 6 of my program, you can do some diastasis safe exercises in a pool. However, you will still need to wear a splint if you have not close your diastasis yet.
For more information about doing a diastasis safe workout click on the link below and download my free Tupler Tips. Also, if you found my video helpful, I would so appreciate it if you would both like it and share.