Key result
App-based home exercise is associated with a ~0.94 cm reduction in postpartum inter-recti distance.
Why the study?
Diastasis recti abdominis is common postpartum and causes abdominal weakness, back pain, and urinary incontinence, but exercise compliance is often poor due to childcare demands.
Does an 8-week mobile app-based home exercise program improve inter-recti distance and patient-reported outcomes in postpartum women with abdominal wall dysfunction?
Observational (n=67)
No
Does an 8-week mobile app-based home exercise program improve inter-recti distance and patient-reported outcomes in postpartum women with abdominal wall dysfunction?
Mean Difference: -0.94 (95% CI -1.52–-0.36)
p-value: p=0.002
An 8-week mobile app-based home exercise program significantly improved inter-recti distance, abdominal muscle elasticity, and symptoms of back pain and urinary incontinence in postpartum women.
May support app-based exercise for postpartum IRD; hypothesis-generating and requires RCT confirmation before practice change.
Purpose: Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) is a common issue among postpartum women, resulting in abdominal muscle weakness and associated problems such as back pain and urinary incontinence.However, compliance with exercise programs is often poor due to childcare demands.This study aims to assess changes in ultrasound parameters (inter-recti distance [IRD], shear wave elastography [SWE]) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) related to DRA following an online exercise program.Methods: Sixty-seven women aged 25-35 years, who had undergone single vaginal delivery, participated in an 8-week exercise program delivered via a mobile app.Pre-and post-intervention ultrasound parameters and clinical scores for low back pain (LBP) and urinary incontinence were compared.Results: After the 8-week program, IRD decreased and SWE increased significantly.PROs, including scores for LBP and urinary incontinence, showed significant improvement.Subgroup analysis based on initial IRD diagnostic criteria for DRA revealed significant improvements in ultrasound parameters and PROs in both groups, with greater improvements observed in those initially diagnosed with clinical DRA. Conclusion:The 8-week online exercise program through mobile application reduced IRD, SWE, and LBP-related disability and stress urinary incontinence.In particular, IRD showed a larger decrease than the decrease reported in a recent meta-analysis.These results suggest that an online exercise program using a mobile application is an effective option to address DRA-related problems in postpartum women.
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Chang et al. (2024) conducted an observational in Diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) / Abdominal wall dysfunction (n=67). Mobile application-based home exercise program was evaluated on Change in inter-recti distance (IRD) measured by ultrasound (MD -0.94, 95% CI -1.52 to -0.36, p=0.002). An 8-week mobile application-based home exercise program significantly reduced inter-recti distance by an average of 0.94 cm (p=0.002) in postpartum women.
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