Latest news with #diastasisrecti
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
NY Liberty Doctor: Sports Can Help Us Treat Pregnancy
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty shoots a basket while Natasha Howard #6 of the Indiana Fever defends during the first half at Barclays Center on July 16, 2025 in Brooklyn, New York. Credit - Ishika Samant—Getty Images I treat professional athletes for a living. I'm the primary care sports medicine doctor for the New York Liberty. As a former Division I athlete myself, I'm honored to remain connected to the sport I love—and treat some of the world's most elite players. I know I've been tasked with caring for a historically marginalized population at a time when the healthcare system is finally starting to value female athletes. I take this responsibility seriously—and coordinate care year-round for the team, treating everything from acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries to sore throats and earaches. But after the birth of my second child, I found myself on the other side of the exam table—trying to manage diastasis recti, a postpartum condition where the abdominal muscles separate, causing pain and weakness. Even with world-class care and clinical training, I'm still on the mend eight months later. That makes me one of the lucky ones. Most women don't have access to the resources I do and they're left navigating complex, often painful recoveries on their own. The reality is pregnancy affects nearly every organ system, yet most women receive little to no guidance on how to protect or rebuild their health. Our healthcare system waits for problems and then scrambles to respond. It rarely works to prevent them. We're long overdue for a shift to a proactive model of perinatal care—care that supports women before, during, and after pregnancy—and integrates musculoskeletal medicine, physical therapy, and science is clear. Pelvic floor and core-strengthening exercises can significantly reduce the risk of wide-ranging complications, including urinary incontinence, severe perineal tears, diastasis recti, and low back pain. These interventions also improve delivery outcomes by increasing the likelihood of vaginal delivery and shortening the second stage of labor. General exercise, even at lower intensities, is a proven preventive tool. Just 140 minutes of prenatal exercise weekly can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes by 25%. Women who exercise more than three times per week for 25 minutes have a 39% lower risk of developing gestational hypertension, which can progress to preeclampsia. Exercise also helps manage excess weight gain during pregnancy, which is linked to a host of issues, from birth canal trauma to more complicated postpartum recovery. And it has been shown to improve overall mental health—an important consideration, given that perinatal depression affects "approximately 1 in 7 people during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth." Resistance training, in particular, can be highly beneficial when properly modified. Women who continue these routines during pregnancy are more likely to have the foundational strength to continue them safely and confidently after birth. Those who stop often face greater hurdles getting back. And providing holistic healthcare during the postpartum stage matters just as much. Regular physical activity after childbirth supports a smoother recovery by improving cardiovascular fitness, reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing sleep quality, and promoting overall physical and psychological well-being. Experts recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate activity per week postpartum, along with strength training and stretching. Yet this evidence still isn't reflected in standard care. Too often, healthcare professionals only intervene when something goes wrong. And it's on women to seek out pelvic floor physical therapy, find out which movements are safe, or identify the right specialists. Many don't know where to begin—and many OB/GYNs aren't equipped to guide them. That leaves countless women isolated, misinformed, or resigned to believe that chronic discomfort is simply part of motherhood. That's what I set out to change after the birth of my first child. I helped launch a perinatal program at the Hospital for Special Surgery (one of the country's largest women's sports medicine centers) to bring proactive, integrated medicine into the pregnancy and postpartum experience. The term "sports medicine" is really a misnomer; the goal isn't just to treat athletes, but to help people recover and stay strong through major life transitions. We should think of it as "movement medicine."At HSS, we've built a model that connects women with physical therapists, nutritionists, and physicians trained to support every stage, from preconception to postpartum. And we're not alone. Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston has built a similarly comprehensive model, integrating musculoskeletal and wellness care into routine perinatal services. This scalable, evidence-based approach should be available to all women. It's time other healthcare systems followed suit and abandoned outdated protocols. The standard six-week postpartum visit is too late to identify emerging issues, let alone intervene. During pregnancy, support is often limited to monitoring the baby's development, with relatively little attention paid to the mother's health unless overt complications arise. That's a failure of care. Many barriers are solvable. One persistent myth is that pelvic floor therapy or nutritional support aren't covered by insurance. In reality, they often are when doctors provide diagnoses such as "weak pelvic floor" for pelvic floor therapy or "dietary counseling" for nutrition. Our team works within these frameworks every day. The issue isn't feasibility. What's missing is awareness and a healthcare culture that prioritizes proactive care over damage control. Physicians, especially those in systems with movement medicine or women's health expertise, must lead the shift in the standard of care. OB/GYNs aren't always trained to recognize musculoskeletal issues or connect patients to the right specialists. It's on us to change that—to ensure providers are informed, and patients feel supported from the start. As a physician, I know this model works. As a mother, I know how desperately it's needed. It's time to support women with the comprehensive perinatal care they've always deserved. Contact us at letters@
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mother pleads for help to fund Mounjaro jabs to lose weight for surgery...after 11lb baby caused her stomach to SPLIT
A mother-of-one who gained five stone and an unsightly bulge after developing a painful condition is pleading for help to fund Mounjaro weight loss injections. Abbi Smith, 31, from Thorpe Willoughby, north Yorkshire, is the proud mum of Eden, born just under two years ago. Before she fell pregnant, Abbi - who is 5ft 2ins - was a slim and healthy 9st 8lbs and worked as a lifeguard and receptionist in York. But as the months went on it became apparent her son was a larger than average baby with her stomach becoming noticeably 'bigger and bigger'. In the latter weeks of her pregnancy, doctors estimated Eden would fall into the 90th percentile for weight - and when he was finally born via C-section, he was just shy of 11lb. By contrast, the average weight of a newborn in the UK is nearer to 7lb 8oz for boys. As Abbi recovered from the birth, she began experiencing back pain, while her former pregnancy bump was transforming into an unsightly bulging stomach. She was finally diagnosed by doctors as having an umbilical hernia, a common condition in which part of the intestine bulges through an opening in the abdominal muscles close to the belly button. But Abbi was told the strain of a larger pregnancy had also caused a second condition, diastasis recti, in which her abdominal muscles have separated. The condition is diagnosed when the division is greater than 2.7cm - but in Abbi's case it is at least 7cm, with doctors believing it could in fact be larger. Surgery is needed to help resolve both conditions, but between the after-effects of pregnancy, being a new mum and debilitating back pain, Abbi has not exercised as she once did - and her weight has inevitably soared. Since being pregnant, Abbi has put on 5 stone and now weighs 14st 10lbs - placing her BMI in the 'obese' range. Doctors at York Hospital have warned that neither surgery can go ahead unless she loses 3 stone in the next 40 weeks. The determined mother-of-one is now making lifestyle choices to help her shed the pounds, but is also looking to use Mounjaro to ensure she meets the deadline set by her surgeons. From next week, the drug - also known as Tirzepatide - will be available on NHS prescription for weight loss for patients who meet specific criteria, but Abbi has been told by her GP she is not eligible. She hopes instead to raise around £1,400 to pay for the jabs privately via a GoFundMe page - adding she simply wants 'to live my life again'. Speaking to MailOnline, Abbi said that aside from back pain and discomfort, she has also become more self-conscious because of her bulge - with some strangers even asking if the mother-of-one is still pregnant. She said: 'I stopped lifeguarding at 16 weeks, but I was eating healthy and doing as much exercise as possible. 'It was more after the pregnancy the problems started. 'My weight began gaining mainly because of the back pain and discomfort I was experiencing due to my umbilical hernia, and then the stomach split as well. 'There have been many times I might avoid going out, because I feel people are looking at me. 'Some have even assumed that I'm still pregnant and ask: "When are you due?" 'I have to tell them I'm not pregnant - my bump just never went away. 'I've definitely become more anxious of social situations and have started buying bigger clothes to disguise my bulge.' Having first noticed issues when Eden was around six months-old, it has taken more than a year for Abbi to go through the various referrals and tests needed before she could have surgery. So when she was told at her most recent appointment that she would need to lose three stone over the next nine months, because otherwise the risk to have an operation would be too high, the distressed mother said she felt 'overwhelmed'. 'I'd waited so long to get to that point only to be told you've got to wait another 40 weeks, and you've got to lose it in that time to even be considered for surgery. 'It all seems so endless and and I just want to get back to being fit and healthy.' Abbi has signed up to a gym and swim membership to help her shift the weight, but is also hoping to raise enough money to start taking Mounjaro. The weight loss jab has long been hailed the 'King Kong' of slimming jabs, with the latest research showing it is almost 50 per cent more effective at shifting the pounds than its rival Wegovy. However, it is only available on the NHS to patients who have a BMI of 35 or more as well as at least four of five conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol or fat levels in your blood, sleep apnea, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Aside from being considered 'obese', Abbi does not have any of the listed conditions. And like many other weight loss jabs, Mounjaro has been associated with more worrying side effects, such as pancreatitis — when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed — or gastrointestinal issues. Others have reported constipation, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and even hair loss while on the drug, but Abbi said she had considered all of these factors. 'I've done quite a bit of research on Mounjaro and spoken to people who have actually taken. 'They've told me how well it has worked for them. 'I did look at different options, but Mounjaro offers the most amount of fat loss in the time that I have to do this. 'I've also looked into the side effects, but in my eyes the benefit outweighs the potential risks. 'And I'm not just someone who thinks I'll take Mounjaro and that will just solve everything - I'm doing everything I possibly can to reach this goal.' On her fundraising page, Abbi posted that she is more determined than ever to slim down and have the surgery she needs, so she can get back to being 'the best mum'. She wrote: 'I want to be able to lose the weight within the 40 week time frame so that I can finally be accepted for my surgery and begin to live my life again. 'I want to be the best mum I can for my boy and join in with all the activities that most mums are able to. 'I want to be able to go outside feeling confident and not ashamed of the way I look and fear that people are looking at me as though I am still pregnant because of my bulge. 'I want to have a healthier better quality of life and live my life without this weighing on my shoulders.' When asked what it would mean to be able to afford the weight loss jabs, Abbi simply responded the drug has 'given me hope'. She continued: 'I'll probably never get back to exactly how I used to look. 'But just being able to move forward with my life would mean so much. 'Having these conditions and putting on weight has changed my life completely, but now I have the hope that I will get back to how I was.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fitness Trainer Didn't Go to the Doctor for 7 Years Despite Strange Symptoms. Turns Out, She Had a Cyst the Size of a Baby (Exclusive)
Megan Johnson is a personal trainer from Chattanooga, Tenn. The 28-year-old self-diagnosed herself with diastasis recti, the separation of the rectus abdominis muscles, after not seeing a doctor in years After sharing her story online, Johnson realized her symptoms required medical attentionApart from visiting an optometrist, Megan Johnson hadn't seen a primary care doctor or gynecologist in nearly seven years. With no health insurance, a fear of medical bills, and a history of negative experiences with doctors, the personal trainer avoided seeking professional help. Trusting in her own judgment and online research, the 28-year-old from Chattanooga, Tenn., thought she had uncovered the main cause of her symptoms: diastasis recti. It wasn't until she shared her story on TikTok that everything began to shift as followers flooded her comments with concern and encouragement to seek real answers. What she discovered after finally taking herself to the emergency room left her stunned, but somehow relieved. 'My stomach was getting bigger and just wider,' Johnson tells PEOPLE exclusively. She first began noticing minor changes in 2021 after forming a cyst, which ended up rupturing. Two years later, she started experiencing severe bloating and painful periods as well as weight gain around her stomach. She realized something was off when her belly button started shifting from an innie to an outie, and the middle of her abdomen seemed to split. Curious to know more about her symptoms, she searched the internet and discovered diastasis recti – a condition where rectus abdominis muscles separate, according to the Cleveland Clinic. After learning how to test at home using a two-finger method, Johnson was convinced diastasis recti was to blame for her symptoms. She became determined to manage the condition as best she could on her own. She avoided both gynecologists and regular doctors due to past experiences where she felt dismissed. After losing health insurance through her parents, and later at her job, she chose not to renew her coverage. 'I just felt like it was a waste of money and so I just stopped going,' Johnson reveals. Over time, she started to believe that diastasis recti, coupled with visceral fat storage and hormonal imbalance, were causing changes to her body. In less than a year, Johnson had gained over 10 pounds and could no longer fit into her old clothes. However, over a five- to six-month span, she began noticing drastic growth around her abdomen, leaving her unrecognizable and filled with self-doubt, especially in her career as a physical trainer. Johnson ate healthy and weight trained, but despite doing everything "right," nothing seemed to work. That disconnect left her feeling like a 'fraud.' 'Feeling like I'm not able to help myself makes me feel unqualified to help other people,' Johnson admits. 'It was definitely something that knocked my confidence a lot.' In April 2025, she took to TikTok to discuss her struggles in hopes of getting some outside opinions. Almost immediately, online strangers flooded Johnson's video with their thoughts, with some even questioning whether she was pregnant. The comments provided a much-needed wake-up call, and it was then that she realized diastasis recti might not be the sole root of her health problems. 'It was insane. This army of women came to my rescue, you know, saying, 'this is exactly what I experienced. You look like me whenever I had that,'' she recalls. 'So once I got confirmation from other people, it gave me the confidence to be like, okay, you know what? This actually might be a bigger issue than I thought. I'm gonna go get it checked out.' As followers became more invested in her health journey, Johnson continued to document the entire experience on TikTok. She started by taking them on a trip to the emergency room on May 1st. 'This is not anybody's fault but my own,' Johnson said in a TikTok video while packing to leave for the ER. 'My own pride got in the way of me getting help because I would justify my symptoms - 'like nothing's wrong with me and I know best.' ' After a number of tests and scans, it was confirmed that she did have diastasis recti. However, she was also diagnosed with an ovarian cyst close to the size of a newborn baby. Johnson read the results out loud in a video, stating that she had a 'massive cystic mass extending from the left upper quadrant to the floor of the pelvis measuring up to 48 centimeters.' With the news, many followers questioned why she hadn't seen a doctor sooner. She likened her health journey to a 'toxic relationship,' noting how it's easy to think everything is fine when change happens over time. Things didn't fall apart overnight, but through small changes that added up. By the time she noticed, it was clear something had to change. 'Ya'll are really giving me a reality check,' she said in a video responding to comments. 'I feel like I have a bunch of big sisters that are getting on to me but in a loving way – calling me in, not calling me out – and I hear you.' With the help of social media, Johnson was able to find the confidence to see a gynecologic oncologist, who decided the best course of action would be to surgically remove the cyst. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, the trainer felt relieved. 'I have some satisfaction…because I know that the thing that I've been dealing with for the past four years, that I thought I would be struggling with for the rest of my life, there's a solution, and, like, one day I won't have to struggle with it,' she tells PEOPLE. Throughout her journey, Johnson has remained committed to staying positive online. She tried to make light of the situation by making sex reveal cupcakes and naming her large mass, 'Cysterella." 'I really feel like, no matter how it turns out, it's going to serve a bigger purpose than just me and that gives me a lot of hope,' she shares. Much of her energy and optimism comes from her strong faith. Johnson believes that every experience, whether good or bad, has the potential to lead to a meaningful takeaway. On May 22, Johnson underwent a successful surgery with 27 pounds of fluid being drained out of her body. Unfortunately, the doctors had to remove an ovary and a fallopian tube in the process of pulling out the cyst, which Johnson knew was a possibility. Regarding her diastasis recti, Johnson's doctors are hoping it heals over time, especially now that the main cause of all her issues has been resolved. By sharing her story, she remains hopeful that others will learn from it and use it as an opportunity to self-reflect on their own health journeys. 'Don't suffer in silence,' Johnson emphasizes. 'Don't just sit back and hide your shame or embarrassment about what's going on with your body because most people are doing the best that they can, and we can't help it.' Johnson has decided that she will keep up with her yearly checkups and keep a closer eye on her health. 'I've seen so many other comments of people saying that they are now scheduling appointments where they're gynecologists or the doctor or the specialist or whoever because of me, and because of that, it makes all of this worth it,' she said in a TikTok video. 'If I had to go back and go through everything that I did for the same result, I absolutely would," she added. "And now that I know better, I'm gonna do better.' Read the original article on People
