In plain words
The linea alba is a strip of tough connective tissue running down the middle of the belly, from below the breastbone to the pubic bone. The two sides of the stomach muscle attach to it. In pregnancy it stretches to make room for the growing uterus. In many people, the two sides of the muscle move apart a little. This is called , and it is common in pregnancy. The gap is often measured in finger widths or centimeters. For most people, the linea alba slowly tightens after birth. Some people still have a gap at a year or more. The gap is not always a problem, and a provider or a can assess it. Pain, bulging, or a gap that does not change may be worth raising with your provider.
The deeper version
The linea alba is the midline aponeurotic raphe formed by the decussating fibers of the external oblique, internal oblique, and aponeuroses, extending from the xiphoid to the pubic symphysis. increases through pregnancy. is the widening and thinning of the linea alba, and it is present in essentially all pregnancies by the third trimester. Benjamin, van de Water, and Peiris (2014) reviewed exercise effects on diastasis and reported wide variability in measurement method and outcome. A substantial minority of women have persisting separation beyond one year postpartum. The controversy concerns measurement technique, the threshold for clinical concern, and whether exercise or binding changes function rather than appearance.
Where it comes up
- Diastasis recti: abdominal separationPregnancy: Your Body
- Back, neck, and shoulder pain from feeding and carryingPostpartum: Your Body
- Belly bindingNourishment and Traditions
- Moving your body in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
- Your body after birth: weight, shape, and timelinesPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about linea alba
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Benjamin DR, van de Water ATM, Peiris CL — Effects of exercise on diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscle in the antenatal and postnatal population: a systematic review. Physiotherapy, 2014