diastasis recti

English

Noun

diastasis recti

1. (medicine) An abnormal gap between the abdominal muscles, sometimes caused by pregnancy or occurring in newborn children.
   • 1902 February, Byron Robinson, “Splanchnoptosis, Uterine Artery, Ureter”, in Minneapolis Homeopathic Magazine, volume 11, number 2:

     This woman had the most extreme diastasis recti abdominales.

   • 1922 November, Henry J. Wolf, “Report and critical analysis of a long-standing case of intestinal spacticity, with observations on the beneficent use of atropine”, in The American Journal of Surgery, volume 36, page 276:

     Abdominal hernia noticed (diastasis recti) coincidentally with exacerbation of abdominal and cerebral distress, requiring occasional narcotic.

   • 2000, Rebecca Gourley Stephenson, Linda J. O'Connor, Obstetric and Gynecologic Care in Physical Therapy, page 267:

     If not during pregnancy, a diastasis recti can instead develop during the second stage of labor, particularly if there is excessive breath holding during pushing. Consequently, the abdominal wall should be checked for diastasis recti post-partum.

   • 2017, William W. Hope, William S. Cobb, Gina L Adrales, Textbook of Hernia, page 316:

     Diastasis recti is a common condition that can manifest postpartum or following abdominal surgery. It is characterized by a widening or separation of the rectus abdominis muscles along the linea alba and in severe cases the linea semilunares as well.

Synonyms

• abdominal separation

Further reading

• Diastasis recti on Wikipedia.Wikipedia