Effect of Exercise on the Width and Stiffness of the Linea Alba in Postpartum Women With Diastasis

NCT07639125 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Postpartum_exercise
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

his study aims to evaluate the effect of an exercise program in postpartum women with diastasis recti, defined as an inter-rectus distance greater than 2 cm at any of three ultrasound measurement points . Participants will be divided into two groups: an intervention group that will follow a 6-week exercise program and a control group that will receive usual care. Ultrasound assessment of the linea alba will be performed before the intervention and after 6 weeks. The main outcomes will be inter-rectus distance and the stiffness of the linea alba measured using shear wave elastography, along with obstetric and personal clinical variables. Participants will be recruited from primary care centers in the Community of Madrid through midwives during postpartum consultations.

Conditions

Diastasis Recti And Weakness Of The Linea Alba

Keywords

diastasis recti; Postpartum woman; exercise therapy; ultrasound

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Interrectus distance

  This group does not follow the exercise program and continues with their usual care through the public healthcare system, which does not include any intervention for diastasis.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks.

• Stiffness of the linea Alba

  CopilotThe stiffness of the linea alba will be measured at three points (5 cm above the navel, at the level of the navel, and 2 cm below the navel) using shear wave elastography.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks.

Study Arms (2)

Exercise group

EXPERIMENTAL

This group follows an exercise program for 6 weeks.

Other: Exercise program

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

This group does not follow the exercise program and continues with their usual care through the public healthcare system, which does not include any intervention for diastasis.

Interventions

Exercise program OTHER

Structured therapeutic exercise program aimed at restoring functional integritu of the abdominal-lumbo-pelvic complex over a six week period. The exercise program was based on activation of the transversus abdominis muscle, synergistic co-activation with the pelvic floor muscles, breathing re-education, and the integration of hypopressive abdominal exercises.

Also known as: exercise therapy

Exercise group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adult woman (\> 18 years old)
• Women who agreed to participate and provided written informed consent
• Women between 6 and 12 weeks postpartum at the time of recruitment.

You may not qualify if:

• History of previous abdominal surgery ( except cesarean section)
• Presence of abdominal or umbilical hernias
• Current pregnancy
• Neuromuscular or systemic conditions affectinf the abdominal wall
• Active infections
• Any condition that could intervere with the correct execution of the measurement protocol.
• Incomplete records or measurements that do not meet elastography quality criteria will be excluded.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vigo: lead

Study Sites (1)

Maternatal center

Madrid, Spain

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Wang L, Yun T, Zhang D, Zhong J, Yi D, Fu W, Li M, Zhang Y, Wang Y. A prospective study of two-dimensional ultrasonography combined with shear wave elastography for pregnancy-related diastasis recti abdominis. Front Physiol. 2024 May 27;15:1382982. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1382982. eCollection 2024.

  PMID: 38860113 BACKGROUND

• Garcia Gonzalez P, Escoda Menendez S, Meana Moris AR. Elastography in musculoskeletal imaging: A tool or a toy? Radiologia (Engl Ed). 2022 Nov-Dec;64(6):566-572. doi: 10.1016/j.rxeng.2021.08.003.

  PMID: 36402542 BACKGROUND

• de Oliveira LC, de Almeida LIM, Lucio MCF, Campos Junior JF, de Oliveira RG. Effects of conservative approaches for treating diastasis recti abdominis in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2025 Jun 6;104(23):e42723. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000042723.

  PMID: 40489856 BACKGROUND

• Canamero-de Leon S, Soto-Gonzalez M, Da Cuna-Carrera I, Pascoal AG. Using Shear Wave Elastography for Morphofunctional Analysis of Abdominal Muscles: A Scoping Review. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2025 Oct;51(10):1629-1638. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2025.04.016. Epub 2025 Jul 12.

  PMID: 40653396 BACKGROUND

• Huang M, Huang Z, Huang H. Precision medicine exploration of postpartum rectus abdominis muscle separation: from basic research to clinical practice. BMC Surg. 2025 Nov 14;25(1):550. doi: 10.1186/s12893-025-03285-x.

  PMID: 41239353 BACKGROUND

• Beamish N, Green N, Nieuwold E, McLean L. Differences in Linea Alba Stiffness and Linea Alba Distortion Between Women With and Without Diastasis Recti Abdominis: The Impact of Measurement Site and Task. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019 Sep;49(9):656-665. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2019.8543. Epub 2019 Mar 26.

  PMID: 30913968 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diastasis Recti And Weakness Of The Linea Alba

Interventions

Resistance Training; Exercise Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Central Study Contacts

Iria Da Cuña Carrera, Physiotherapy

CONTACT

+34 986801750; iriadc@uvigo.es

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Phd

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2026
• First Posted: June 10, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Last Updated: June 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

ES (1)