Do You Have Diastasis Recti? Here's How to Check — And What to Do Next

Something has been off. Maybe your belly looks different than it used to — not just heavier, but differently shaped, forward-protruding in a way that doesn't change with diet or exercise. Maybe your back hurts in a way that keeps coming back. Maybe your core feels weak or disconnected no matter how much you train it.

And at some point, someone mentioned diastasis recti. Or you found it on your own late at night doing a search.

The first question is usually: do I actually have this?

Here's how to find out.

The Self-Check

You can do a basic assessment for diastasis recti at home. Here's what to do:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor
2. Place your fingertips horizontally across your midline — starting just above your belly button
3. Slowly lift your head — not a crunch, just bringing your chin toward your chest while keeping your shoulders down
4. Feel what happens under your fingertips

What you're checking for: how many fingers fit into the gap between the two muscle columns that run vertically down your center. A gap of one to two fingers wide is generally considered within normal range. Three fingers or more indicates a significant diastasis. But width isn't the only measure — depth and tension in the connective tissue matter too.

Also watch: does your belly dome, cone, or form a visible ridge down the center when you lift your head? That visible change in shape is a reliable indicator of separation regardless of finger width.

Check above the belly button, at the belly button, and below — diastasis can occur anywhere along the midline and is often widest at the navel.

For a detailed video guide to checking correctly, Diastasis Rehab has a free resource at diastasisrehab.com/pages/check-belly. I recommend this to every patient who wants to understand what they're working with before they come in.

What the Results Mean

No gap or minimal gap (1-2 fingers), flat abdomen with head lift:
Your diastasis is likely within normal range. If you're still experiencing back pain, core weakness, or the belly changes described above, other factors may be involved — worth a full assessment to understand what's driving your symptoms.

Gap of 3+ fingers, or visible doming/ridging:
You likely have a clinically significant diastasis. The good news is this is addressable — non-surgically, at any age, with a structured program. What matters now is knowing what to do and what not to do.

Can't find the gap or not sure what you're feeling:
That's completely normal, especially if you've never done this before. An in-person assessment gives you a much clearer picture — and it's one of the things I check in postpartum consultations and for any patient presenting with the symptoms we've been discussing.

The Side Effects That Often Come With DR

Diastasis recti is not just a cosmetic issue. The symptoms that come with a separated abdominal wall are functional — and they affect daily life in ways that many people never connect to their core:

• Chronic low back pain
• Poor posture and difficulty holding an upright position
• Bloating after eating that feels disproportionate
• Constipation
• Urinary leakage with impact, lifting, or laughing
• Pelvic floor heaviness or prolapse feelings
• A belly that protrudes forward regardless of weight
• Core that feels weak or disconnected during training
• Back pain that worsens with exercise

If you checked positive for diastasis and recognize several of these, the separation isn't just cosmetic — it's affecting how your body functions.

What Not to Do

This is critically important. If you have a confirmed diastasis:

Don't do crunches or sit-ups. These create forward-doming pressure through the midline that actively widens the separation.

Don't do exercises that cause visible coning or doming. If your belly forms a ridge or dome during any exercise, that exercise is contraindicated for now — it's producing the exact force pattern that worsens a diastasis.

Don't assume time will close it. For most people, a significant diastasis does not self-resolve without intentional rehabilitation of the connective tissue. It often gets worse with age and with continued forward-loading activities.

Don't jump into core training programs — including many pelvic floor programs — without confirming they are designed for someone with DR. Many standard core programs include movements that are harmful for this condition.

What Does Work

The Tupler Technique® — a research and evidence-based program developed by Julie Tupler, RN — is the most comprehensively researched non-surgical approach for closing a diastasis recti. The program works through four specific steps:

1. Repositioning the connective tissue and abdominal muscles using the Diastasis Rehab Splint® Use code 5DRFREEMAN to receive a discount on programs and materials.
2. Specific exercises (Elevator, Contracting, Head lifts) that strengthen the connective tissue and transverse abdominis without loading the midline incorrectly
3. Developing transverse muscle awareness and strength with daily activities and movement
4. Learning to get up and down correctly — seated to standing, lying to seated — in ways that protect the weakened connective tissue throughout the day

The program progresses over 18 weeks and has been shown to reduce diastasis size by 55% in six weeks for many participants. As a Tupler Technique® affiliate, I support and recommend this program as the foundation of diastasis rehabilitation — the full program is available at diastasisrehab.com. Use code 5DRFREEMAN for a discount on programs and materials.

What Breathe Adds to Your Recovery

The Tupler Technique® addresses the core directly. What chiropractic care at Breathe adds is addressing the structural and neurological consequences that have accumulated around it — the low back pain, the SI joint and pelvic dysfunction, the postural compensation patterns, the nervous system load of a body that's been compensating and guarding for months or years.

For most patients with significant DR, both are needed. The program closes the gap. The chiropractic care addresses what the gap has been doing to everything around it.

Your Next Step

If your self-check came back positive, or if you recognize the symptom picture and want a proper assessment, here's where to go:

Start with the Tupler Technique® free resources:
diastasisrehab.com/pages/check-belly — the complete self-check guide
diastasisrehab.com — program options for your specific situation

Use code 5DRFREEMAN for a discount on program and materials.

Work with Dr. Carla at Breathe Chiropractic in Phoenix:
For a full structural and core assessment — including checking for DR in context with your back pain, posture, and overall nervous system picture — book a consultation.
Book Your First Visit HERE

Dr. Carla Freeman, DC is a Tupler Technique® affiliate at Breathe Chiropractic in Phoenix, AZ. As an affiliate she recommends and links to Diastasis Rehab products and programs — all opinions and clinical content are her own.