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Diastasis Recti and pole dance
Hello everyone.
I am now 1 year post partum with a three finger width diastasis. I used to pole dance but have not been able to return back because of the DR. I have seen a couple of surgeons and they said that surgery is an option to repair the muscles. According to them the diastasis wont heal on its own. I am seeing a physiotherapist who instead believes that I can still improve it (but may not be able to fully close it)
I have two questions:
1. Can I start to pole dance gradually and work on improving the diastasis at the same time? Or its best to wait until the gap is a bit smaller before starting?
2. I am considering surgery in the future but I wanted to know if anyone has done it. As athletes and dancers have you found the surgery a success in repairing the muscles and you getting back your strength to pole and perform other aerial activities? or will the surgery only give you a flat belly with not much strength (after all it is a cosmetic procedure)? How does the scar look like?
Thanks for your help! -
2 Replies
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I had a 3 finger diastasis after my 3rd baby and it grew juuust a little after my 4th. I didn’t have surgery and after training my core I recovered to about a pinky width 🙂 While I’m not saying that will be the case for you, I’m saying there’s hope and surgery isn’t always the way.
If it were me, I’d give the therapist a try for a bit and see if progress was made.
Your phyio will be able to help you determine what pole work would be ok and what to avoid, as many cases are unique. You should be able to start dancing but as with all my online students, the focus should be on holding the body correctly and this can be challenging even in “simple” pole work. If you’re taking the lessons here or are planning on it, be sure to follow all the cues I give, these will help!
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I went to a physiotherapist after my firstborn was born. It really helped. I was religious about doing the exercises she gave me (btw, most of them can be found online – but make sure you are following a reputable site!)
When I got back to pole, I started at home with Veena’s 30 days beginner program and it helped me come to class not feeling like a total newbie. Within about half a year (from returning to class), I had regained all of the strength I had, along with some new found strength (Go handspring!).I’m currently pregnant with number 2 and I’m terrified of it happening again, as it was tedious and a bit frustrating at times, but doable.
I agree with Veena – give physio a try and see if you are seeing/feeling results. Please make sure to talk to your physiotherapist about it, along with your goals, and make sure s/he helps you properly manage your expectations. It’s not going to happen overnight, but do set a small milestone or two to make sure you are making progress. (Btw, I do that with my pole training all the time and it really helps – even if my milestones are small and seem insignificant to many of the other girls…)
Good luck and enjoy your growing bundle of joy! 🙂
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