Diastasis Recti

Find relief and restore function with our specialized physical therapy.

Diastasis recti occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles, which run vertically down the front of your abdomen, separate due to weakened connective tissue. This condition often develops during pregnancy, but it can also occur due to other factors, such as rapid weight changes or improper exercise techniques. At Beyond Basics, we specialize in diastasis recti rehabilitation through targeted physical therapy designed to help you heal and restore function to your abdominal muscles.

Symptoms of Diastasis Recti

The symptoms of diastasis recti vary, but some common indicators include:

Visible abdominal separation of the abdomen
A noticeable bulge or “doming”, particularly when straining, lifting, or with certain movements
Lower back pain or discomfort
Weakness in the core, leading to difficulty with abdominal exercises and poor posture
Bloating or a feeling of pressure in the abdominal region
Difficulties postpartum with daily activities

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How Diastasis Recti Occurs

Diastasis recti abdominis occurs when the rectus abdominis muscles separate, causing a gap to form along the linea alba (the connective tissue that runs down the middle of your abdomen). This condition most commonly occurs during pregnancy due to the stretching of the abdominal muscles to accommodate the growing uterus, but it can also develop in men and non-pregnant women due to:

Increased Abdominal Pressure: Activities such as heavy lifting or incorrect exercise techniques can put excessive pressure on the abdominal muscles, leading to diastasis recti.
Weakened Connective Tissue: The connective tissue between the rectus abdominis muscles can become overstretched and weakened, contributing to abdominal separation.
Post-Pregnancy Recovery: Many women experience diastasis recti symptoms postpartum, which can affect core strength, posture, and daily activities.
Other Contributing Factors: Rapid weight changes or conditions that lead to increased pressure in the abdominal cavity can also cause diastasis recti abdominis.

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How Physical Therapy Can Help

At Beyond Basics, we offer diastasis recti treatment through a combination of exercises and manual therapy techniques aimed at healing symptoms related to the separation of the abdominal muscles. Our approach focuses on:

Strengthening the Rectus Abdominis Muscles: Targeted exercises help strengthen the rectus abdominis and surrounding core muscles, addressing symptoms related to the gap caused by diastasis recti.
Improving Core Stability: We help you regain proper core strength, which can improve your posture and alleviate back pain.
Restoring Function: Our treatments help to restore the function of your abdominal muscles and connective tissue, allowing you to resume normal activities and exercise.
Addressing Postural Issues: We work to correct posture and alignment problems that often accompany diastasis recti.
Discussing the Psychosocial Components: We provide empowerment, education, and supportive guidance to help you feel reassured and knowledgeable throughout your recovery.

What to Expect During Your Sessions

During Your Initial Appointment

At your first appointment, we’ll take the time to discuss any symptoms you’ve been experiencing so that we can learn more about your specific situation. We’ll then perform a gentle assessment of your abdominal muscles, connective tissue, and posture to determine the extent of your symptoms. This helps us create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your needs.

During Your Additional Appointments

Each visit is customized to your progress and comfort level. Our physical therapists will guide you through diastasis recti exercises designed to strengthen your abdominal muscles and address the symptoms related to the separation. We will also use hands-on techniques to address any muscle imbalances or tightness. Throughout the process, we will monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as necessary to help you find relief from symptoms and achieve the best results.

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Client Testimonials

Barry Gurvitch

Beyond Basics provides sensitive and professional care in a comfortable environment. I was skeptical at first if they could help but now, I am a believer.

Barbara Friedman

A wonderful introduction to pelvic floor therapy. Eliza's engaged, intelligent approach made me feel surprisingly hopeful. She's clearly a great person to work with.

Marian

Courteous and helpful staff. Excellent facilities. My PT is the best I found after months of searching around Manhattan.

Noelle De Martini

I had a great experience working with Emily Moore for pre-op PT. She created an incredibly warm and inclusive environment and helped me feel comfortable from the start. In just a few sessions, she really helped me have a better understanding of my symptoms and how to best manage them. She gave me helpful tips to integrate into my daily routine and I noticed results almost immediately. I am looking forward to resuming sessions with her again after surgical recovery.
The front desk and administrative staff were wonderful as well. I highly recommend working with Emily!

Elena Golub

Absolutely adored working with Melanie Rocchio. She's truly an expert at her craft and immediately puts you at ease. It's hard to make PFPT a comfortable process but she did. If you need PFPT, go see Melanie--I'll definitely be a returning client if I need further treatment.

Kat M.

I recently saw Kiko for regular PT sessions following a c-section delivery and HIGHLY recommend her, she's the best!! We worked on regaining both pelvic floor and core strength, and while I'm happy both have improved significantly in the months since my delivery, I was sad to have 'graduated' PT as I really enjoyed my sessions with Kiko - she's a pleasure to work with and learn from! I also had a good experience with Beyond Basics as a practice - Veronica at the front desk is very sweet!

Savannah Carlin

I cannot recommend Sonali highly enough, she’s truly incredible!

Sudais Haider

Nice

Lily Zoraster

Had a great experience here, front desk person Veronica is very nice and helpful. It was a delight to have Kiko as my therapist. She is very knowledgeable, easy to talk to/work with, and very thorough. She helped me find the perfect exercises that were very doable to help me progress and I progressed so fast in ways that I couldn’t imagine before. Thank you so much 😊

Mike Honcharik

Went to Beyond Basics for treatment of abdominal pain ,as recommended by my doctor . Kiko treated me , she was very professional and a listened to all my concerns ,and made me feel much better as to my condition . She was very knowledgeable and very helpfull . I highly recommend her.

Garland Horwitz

Emily Moore was fantastic! Great bedside manner and helpful. The whole team was very friendly

Samatha Nemana

So appreciative of the staff at Beyond Basics, especially Emily Moore! Emily was immensely helpful as I navigate my endometriosis journey. During our sessions I feel like I got some real answers around my pain - I so, so appreciate her. Our visits and the exercises she recommended have resulted in noticeable improvement over just a few short months. Highly recommend!

Michele Caplan

I have worked with Beyond Basics for over 15 years. I have an underlying chronic problem that I will have to manage for the rest of my life. With their multitude of skills, Beyond Basics has given me the therapy and strategies to go from acute pelvic pain, severe back, and postural problems to being able to manage my underlying problems with resilience and support. And, with their help and guidance I have avoided back surgery.

The therapy and commitment at BB are on an entirely different level from therapy available any other Physical Therapy clinic I have ever encountered. It is entirely unique.

Allie Hemmings

Staff is friendly and efficient. Kiko is so easy to talk to, super informative, genuinely caring & kind, very knowledgeable about the pelvic floor as well as how other areas of the body work with it, and she also gave a great referral when my condition seemed to need treatment outside of her scope of practice. I highly recommend Kiko!

Ava Anderson

My son has autism and struggles with motor coordination. His physiotherapy sessions are tailored to his needs, full of playful yet purposeful activities. He looks forward to every visit and we’ve noticed significant improvements in his balance, posture, and ability to focus during tasks.

Ronlee Ben-Gal

Sonali Patel at Beyond Basis is an incredibly smart, kind, and effective pelvic floor PT. She was great during our sessions and also gave me the tools to continue healing on my own, without ever pushing unnecessary visits. I’d absolutely recommend her and will definitely come back to her if anything ever comes up again.

Joshua S Rubin DDS

Kiko is exactly what you want in a PT… Attentive and clearly loves what she does, all with a sense of humor. You’ll be lucky if you get her..

Annie Jung

I went to go see Kiko for tailbone pain that I had ignored for 20 months since giving birth. She gave me a thorough assessment and explained the reasons behind the persisting pain. She looked at my body as a whole, not just the pelvic area and we are addressing other problem areas that have been causing the pain. I can’t believe how much I’ve improved even after just one session. Her bedside manners are great too and I feel very comfortable working with her. I highly recommend this place for all new mamas!

Elizabeth Mills

I have had an amazing experience working with Kiko. She takes a holistic approach to assess and address your individual needs. Working with Kiko has dramatically reduced the symptoms of a condition I have had for many years, when nothing else I have tried has helped. My quality of life has greatly improved and I am very grateful!

carol espel

High quality, physical care

Gemma Newcombe

I found this place on Maps when my pelvic pain flared up best decision ever. I felt real progress after just a few visits.

P F

Very knowledgeable skilled understanding and friendly. Highly recommend

Alec-Lewis Wang

Very helpful!

Mayelin Batista

Sonali is one of the most caring and kind person I have come across. As a patient and most importantly as a female, to find these two qualities in a therapist are not only extremely important but also extremely rare to find.

nina Shapiro

I am working with Sonail. She is a skilled practioner both with hands and heart.

nelly tournaki

I want to thank Dr. Solani Patel. Throughout my treatment she has been gentle, polite, patient and very knowledgable. Each of the exercises she gave me were very relevant to my condition and very helpful.

Jenny Laroche

Beyond basics is such an amazing space for rehabbing postpartum pains and aches.
The therapists are incredibly knowledgeable, kind, gentle, and wonderful at their job!
As a dancer, I received the expert care I needed to return to work with confidence.

Kevin Fitzpatrick

Beyond Basics is one the best places to go for physical therapy.... I'm extremely happy I started going here, and it's very convenient, being that it's directly across the street from Grand Central. My physical therapist, Radhi Kadakia, is awesome and highly recommended!

Lisa Taylor

Vivian is fantastic! I felt like in just a few minutes she identified the reason I’ve been having so much so joint and hip area oain for the past couple of years. I had seen multiple different docs/specialists and no one had been able to figure anything out. She gave me some exercises to help gain more connectivity and activation on my glutes (I over-rely on my core and quads and not enough in my posterior chain), and when I said I’d be more likely to do them if I had a video demo she kindly did demos and let me record them!

I’ll also add that I’m a childbirth educator and both doula and have been recommending this practice for years because colleagues and clients have raved about them but only recently did I get to actually experience this for myself. (In fact, I ran into one of my birth class students when I went to my appointment!) Now I can recommend even more highly!

Jeremy Pikser

Emily Moore is the most insightful, ingenious and effective PT I have ever worked with, and I've worked with over a dozen over the past 30 years. I wish they were a little more Medicare compliant, but even if it costs more, to me, it's worth it.

Virginia Meagher

PT Danielle is phenomenal. She knows about the entire body. She gave me exercises for my upper right back which are paying off. BBPT sends you a follow-up email with videos about how to do the exercises. They are awesome.

serena

I had a great experience at Beyond Basics! I was nervous about going to physical therapy, but Sonali was so professional and nice, which made me feel a lot more comfortable. Sonali fully solved my pelvic floor issues in only a few sessions. She gave me stretches to do on my own time to move my progress along and also to ensure I don't lose any progress I've made. The receptionist Jasmine is also great-she is really helpful when it comes to scheduling appointments. I can't recommend Beyond Basics enough!

Frances Engoron

Great care - wonderful therapists. Head and shoulders above most other Physical Therapy practices.

Michele Bontemps

Sonali was wonderful! Extremely knowledgeable and understanding. Excellent facility.

Gail Brousal

The waiting room--always decorated--is a welcoming space. Makela is respectful, resourceful and wonderfully clear in spoken and physical instruction. It is truly a pleasure to work with her,

Bárbara Ipac

I highly recommend Beyond Basics Physical Therapy. Great staff!

Colta Ives

Danielle Santora is exceptionally well-informed, a great listener and and a great educator. She is that rare person who knows her business and has the sensitivity to deal with a delicate subject.

Jessica Hebenstreit

Eliza is amazing! I am seeing her for pelvic floor PT due to pregnancy related discomfort and in just 2 sessions she has helped reduce my pain/discomfort a lot. She has a very kind and comforting bedside manner and makes you feel very at ease. I highly recommend her.

Wendy Katzman

Sonali Patel is an excellent physical therapist. She is very knowledgable about pelvic health, and has great manual therapy and communication skills. I highly recommend her.

Rebecca Blane

This place is amazing!!! I worked with Sonali. She was extremely knowledgable and our sessions were very thorough. Sonali was so compassionate and helped me feel so supported. I felt like she really understood what I was going through. I saw great improvements and am very satisfied with the whole experience. Highly recommend!

Ray Tekosky

Wonderful place, I've worked with Makela previously, she's "as good as it gets". Natural healer, empathetic, pleasant, smart,,,,,,,what more can u ask for?

Lizzie Benzik

Vivian Zhang at Beyond Basic PT is awesome! She took my concerns seriously and, using exercises and physical releases, improved my breathing and quality of life.

Nick B

My experience with Beyond Basics has been outstanding! Danielle is incredibly insightful, professional, and an excellent communicator. She is truly an expert and I am very grateful to have her in my journey!

Jazmaine Vitta

Sonali Patel is a miracle worker! I came to Beyond Basics with really bad TMJ issues and Sonali was able to provide me almost instant relief from years of tension. I've never felt better and she taught me some really awesome tips I can use myself moving forward. Overall I had a really great experience at Beyond Basics!

Jessica Hope

I’ve now been to Beyond Basics at two different points in my life for two different reasons. They are truly the experts. I walk away from each session in awe of the deep knowledge base of my physical therapist Sonali, who I trust and respect deeply. I have dealt with other physical therapy offices in the past and nothing can compare to the level of care, comfort, professionalism, efficiency, and effectiveness of this office. I actually look forward to my appointments. Highly recommend for anyone with GI issues of any kind or has had a baby!

Marjorie Thompson

I highly recommend Beyond Basics for pelvic floor PT. My therapist, Vivian, was friendly, thoughtful, respectful, and knowledgeable. She knows what she’s doing and made great suggestions for exercises I could do on my own. I had great results in combination with treatment recommended by my doctor. The facility is clean and staff are welcoming. Highly recommend.

Barbara Pearson

A terrific therapist who made an awkward procedure comfortable and normal. She is smart, sensitive , knowledgeable and a delight to be with during therapy

Leese Hamilton

Incredibly caring, experienced and professional. Highly recommended.

Joanne Sandler

Makela is an amazing PT. The office staff is wonderful and the space is great. Highly recommend.

Lisa Duggan

Rachel at Beyond Basics downtown is an outstanding, highly skilled, patient, kind and dedicated physical therapist. I love going to see her, she helps me so much. *Highly* recommended!

Cindy C

I was afraid to go out because of my overactive bladder. Vivian Zhang saved my life. My life improved tremendously after spending two months with her.

She is very patient, knowledgeable, and professional. She spends a full hour with me which I could not find in any other physical therapy. She gave me so much attention and continued to look for the root cause of my problems. She explains the purpose of the exercises. She teaches me the exercises and makes sure I do it correctly. She will check my understanding in the next session to make sure I do it correctly. If I don’t do it correctly, she will find another way to explain to me and check my understanding. All other physical therapy just spends 30 minutes on me and leaves me alone to do the exercises myself. They don’t check to see if I am doing it correctly. Before coming to Beyond Basic, I was in another physical therapy for a year and was not able correct my overactive bladder problem. I am so lucky to have found Vivian and Beyond Basic.

France Choa

You don't take my insurance.

Maddy Hoffman

Superb and attentive care. Highly recommended!

Mary Callahan

I've really appreciated my experience so far at Beyond Basics, working with Makela. I was nervous going into pelvic floor physical therapy and she was respectful and considerate of my hesitation. She also makes a great effort to connect with other members of my treatment team, which makes me feel like I'm being supported holistically. I have already noticed improvement in my daily life, and I'm very grateful!

Karla Lopez

At Beyond Basics I found the help I needed for my Postpartum recovery after a traumatic delivery. Little did I know all the benefits I could get from pelvic floor PT. Here I learned a lot of tools to have a better pelvic health and improve my wellbeing. I really recommend pelvic floor PT to all women! This will help you for life.
Vivian has been my PT and she is great! She has helped me in a lot of ways, physically and emotionally, she’s caring and very knowledgeable.
Also, the girls from front desk are very kind.
Beyond basics is a great place!

Katie Kuntzman

My experience with Beyond Basics has truly been life changing!

After having a variety of symptoms without a true diagnosis for months, I found Beyond Basics, and, while I was completely unfamiliar with pelvic floor physical therapy before going there, I quickly realized the benefits even after my first session.

I've now been working with Vivian Zhang for almost a year, and I am continuously amazed by her work. Out of all of the medical professionals that I've worked with in the past, Vivian has shown the most care and interest in my well being. Healing is definitely a journey, and Vivian has shown the utmost respect and patience for me as I work through ups and downs of my personal path. With Vivian, I feel like I have a trusted resource and someone who genuinely listens to me, and that has made such a difference in my recovery.

I cannot thank Vivian, and Beyond Basics as a whole, enough for the improvement that they've made to my quality of life and I highly recommend this practice to anyone who is even remotely considering pelvic floor PT!

S H

Eliza was so great to work with. She was very helpful. She is caring and compassionate. She helped me feel better. Grateful for all of her support. Can’t say enough good things. Would be better if they accepted insurance though.

Barry Schiller

Beyond Basics PT identified my needs and listened to my concerns as well as planned a treatment regimen that addressed the fundamental causes of my issues. Makayla knowledge regarding body mechanics is extraordinary.

donal farley

I needed a specialized pt called pelvic floor therapy following rectal surgery. I found Vivian Zhang a very able and knowledgeable therapist at Beyond Basics Physical Therapy on William Street in lower Manhattan. After six weekly one hour sessions, I had a significant improvement in returning to a normal life. Vivian was very clear in her instructions, provided illustrated email instructions for at-home exercises and was available via email as needed. She was also very patient and kind with this 87 year old client.

Caitlyn West

Dr. Spielman and the Beyond Basic staff are amazing. The front desk is kind, friendly and very helpful when booking appointments.

Dr. Spielman is a life saver. She helped me at a time when I had experienced months of debilitating pain. I had seen multiple specialists and tried various medications to no avail.

Dr. Spielman was the first doctor to diagnose me with an overly tight pelvic floor. She has helped me with workouts, stretches and provided me with important anatomical information on my road to recovery.

I am so grateful for her and I can't recommend both Dr. Spielman and Beyond Basics enough!

Dina

I received excellent care at Beyond Basics

I L

I have been a patient at the Beyondbasics PT for almost 3 years and they successfully helped me with both the pelvic floor and orthopedic issues.
I have health issues and I have used several physical therapists in the past.
Beyond Basics is the best!!
They were recommended to me by my doctors
And I am grateful for the recommendations.
Beyondbasics PTs are knowledgeable, attentive, patient and kind.
Front desk representatives are very friendly and kind.
Thank you

Mark Scheflen

I am extremely grateful for Ekta's work. She figured out a complex problem within 2 visits. Importantly, I now understand the problem and know what to do to fix it. I went to so many medical specialists and Pelvic PT's and they couldn't figure out problem. I highly recommend Beyond Basics a perfect name.

Natalie Valentine

Excellent treatment, knowledgeable therapist. Very informative and comfortable experience.

Esther Gopin

Joanna was super helpful, knowledgeable, and caring. Would absolutely recommend!

Beyond Basics: We Can Help

At Beyond Basics, we are committed to treating pelvic floor issues with sensitivity to each individual’s needs, regardless of sex, race, identity, age, or orientation – we treat the whole person with a comprehensive, caring biopsychosocial approach.

Since 2003, Beyond Basics has been a place of hope and healing for our patients. We believe skilled and compassionate healing can restore your body’s harmony and balance. Founder, Amy Stein, and co-founder, Corey Hazama are renowned experts and leaders in pelvic floor PT.

The skilled physical therapists at Beyond Basics receive extensive training to qualify them to be the world’s leaders in pelvic floor rehabilitation. All of our therapists have been carefully selected to work at Beyond Basics because they possess the right expertise, kindness, and empathy to allow them to excel at our practice. Our therapists have completed hundreds of additional hours outside of their doctorates both internally and externally through institutes such as Herman and Wallace and the American Physical Therapy Association, to help hone their practice and provide exceptional treatment efficiently and compassionately. In addition to being the world’s first and foremost experts in pelvic floor dysfunction, our individual therapists have cultivated additional skills unique to their own personal interests. Read more about each one of our therapists here LINK TO BIO.

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Diastasis Recti

— Beyond Basics PT | Pelvic Floor Therapy NYC.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is diastasis recti diagnosed?

Diastasis recti is usually diagnosed through a physical examination, by assessing the width and depth of the separation and how the tissues respond to the activation of the core. Your physical therapist will also be monitoring breath holding patterns, checking for any type of straining or “doming”, observing the quality of core contraction, or any other compensation patterns.

Can physical therapy heal diastasis recti?

Physical therapy is an effective treatment for the symptoms related to diastasis recti. Through targeted diastasis recti rehabilitation, our team of physical therapists can help strengthen the rectus abdominis muscles, improve core stability, and promote the healing of the connective tissue.

What exercises are recommended for diastasis recti?

Recommended exercises for diastasis recti vary depending on the contributing factors to your symptoms. They may consist of isolated core exercises, but also full body functional exercises that promote more resilience in your musculoskeletal system. The goal is to improve your core function, pressure management, mobility, movement variability, coordination, and allow you to feel empowered and confident in your body.

Is surgery required to fix diastasis recti?

In most cases, diastasis recti surgery is not required. A combination of strengthening exercises and manual therapy has helped many patients. However, in severe cases where the abdominal muscles do not respond to conservative treatment, surgery may be considered.

Diastasis Recti

Symptoms of Diastasis Recti

How Diastasis Recti Occurs

Treat your IBS today.

How Physical Therapy Can Help

What to Expect During Your Sessions

During Your Initial Appointment

During Your Additional Appointments

Client Testimonials

Beyond Basics: We Can Help

Get help now from a pelvic floor therapist.

Diastasis Recti

— Beyond Basics PT | Pelvic Floor Therapy NYC.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is diastasis recti diagnosed?

Can physical therapy heal diastasis recti?

What exercises are recommended for diastasis recti?

Is surgery required to fix diastasis recti?

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