Hello again and I hope you found the first read of my blog series “DO YOU PEE WHEN YOU JUMP ROPE?” to be helpful.

This second blog of the series will be about two conditions that are also very common that tie into SUI (stress urinary incontinence). They are known as Diastasis Recti and POP (pelvic organ prolapse).

After doing some research, I think it is safe to define diastasis recti as the separation of the midline of the abdominal wall (NOT ripping of the wall) due to pregnancy. With this condition, it is more than likely that the separation of your abdominal wall will never fully heal; however, according to Girls Gone Strong, it depends on the connective tissue lining (linea alba) within the gap and how strengthened it becomes. There are ways to self-assess yourself, in which you can refer to their blog with useful videos (https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/pregnancy/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-diastasis-recti/).

Again, as your midsection separates, it weakens the abdominal muscles. This makes it difficult to create tension in order to support the abs when performing a plank, for example.

The way this ties back into SUI is that when the linea alba is not strengthened (connective tissue rather than closing the gap), it is difficult for most women to be able to fully contract and relax their abdominal muscles. If you can recall from the previous blog, the inability to do this is what typically leads to some incontinence.

I also would like to touch base on pelvic organ prolapse (POP). This condition is basically when the abdominal muscles are weak and are not able to properly support the pelvic organs, which include the uterus, bladder, and rectum. As a result, an organ(s) drops towards the vagina and presses into or out of it. The most commonly heard of are the uterine and bladder drop which are seen in the images below:

There are a variety of symptoms but the main one in which women tend to seek help for it is when it feels like something is about to fall out of their vagina. Women with POP may also feel severe pressure in the pelvic area.

The most difficult thing is that some who have went through childbirth show no symptoms or simply believe a symptom is normal (as mentioned before with SUI).

With that being said,

“YES! YOU CAN STILL WORKOUT :D”

Focus, focus, focus on strengthening the core and the pelvis in order to support whole body movements.

Both conditions can be treated and healed over time, with the proper follow-up and exercise regimen. With that being said….

My last blog will briefly go over some precautions one must take when lifting weights and exercising, followed by a surprise…. if you made it to the end, you’re in for a good one 😉

STAY TUNED!!!!! TBC

Coach Lopez