Effects of Drawing in Maneuver and Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion in Postpartum Diastasis Recti
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: DRAWING IN MANEUVER, RESISTED ANKLE DORSIFLEXION.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Diastasis Recti. Basic parameters: 20 years — 45 years · Female.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Pakistan
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Combine Effects of Drawing in Maneuver and Resisted Ankle Dorsiflexion on Pain, Inter-recti Distance, Strength and Quality of Life in Postpartum Diastasis Recti
Overview
The aim of this study is to compare the combine effects of drawing in maneuver and resisted ankle dorsiflexion on pain, inter-recti distance, strength and quality of life in postpartum diastasis recti.
Detailed description
Randomized controlled research will assess how drawing-in maneuver and resisted ankle dorsiflexion together affect postpartum women with diastasis recti in terms of pain, inter-recti distance, abdominal strength, and quality of life. 20-40 years females from 6 weeks to 6 months to post-partum period will be included in this study and the data will be collected from Al Zahra Hospital, Ali medical center and Sharif Medical Complex. Two groups of 42 individuals will be randomly assigned to either the drawing-in maneuver alone (Group A, n = 21) or a combination of the drawing-in technique and resisted ankle dorsiflexion (Group B, n = 21). For six weeks, the intervention will be administered twice a week to both groups. Manual muscle testing for strength, caliper measurement for IRD, the SF-36 questionnaire for quality of life and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) for pain will all be used in baseline and post-treatment evaluations. The data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25.
Interventions
- Other DRAWING IN MANEUVER
Each contraction will be held for 10 seconds and repeated 10 times per session. This exercise will be performed two to three times per week for six weeks - Other RESISTED ANKLE DORSIFLEXION
They will dorsiflex the ankle, pulling the toes toward the shin against the resistance, hold for 5-10 seconds, and then return to the starting position. Each leg will complete three sets of 10 repetitions, performed two to three times weekly
Primary outcome measures
- Numeric Pain Rating Scale [Time frame: 6th week]
- Caliper Measurement [Time frame: 6th week]
- Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) [Time frame: 6th week]
- SF-36 [Time frame: 6th week]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Postpartum females (6 weeks to 6 months postpartum)
- Diagnosed with diastasis recti (IRD ≥ 2.5 cm)
- Age 20-45 years
- Mode of delivery
- Multiparity
Exclusion criteria
- History of abdominal surgery
- Pelvic organ prolapses
- Neurological or orthopedic disorders
- Presence of low back pain, hernia, or musculoskeletal disorders
- Participation in any other abdominal rehabilitation program in the last 3 months
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Pakistan · 1 center
- Al Zahra Hospital — Guiranwala
Publications
- Cavalli M, Aiolfi A, Bruni PG, Manfredini L, Lombardo F, Bonfanti MT, Bona D, Campanelli G. Prevalence and risk factors for diastasis recti abdominis: a review and proposal of a new anatomical variation. Hernia. 2021 Aug;25(4):883-890. doi: 10.1007/s10029-021-02468-8. Epub 2021 Aug 6. PMID 34363190
- Berg-Poppe P, Hauer M, Jones C, Munger M, Wethor C. Use of exercise in the management of postpartum diastasis recti: a systematic review. The Journal of Women's & Pelvic Health Physical Therapy. 2022;46(1):35-47.
- Tung RC, Towfigh S. Diagnostic techniques for diastasis recti. Hernia. 2021 Aug;25(4):915-919. doi: 10.1007/s10029-021-02469-7. Epub 2021 Jul 27. PMID 34313855
- Beamish NF, Davenport MH, Ali MU, Gervais MJ, Sjwed TN, Bains G, Sivak A, Deering RE, Ruchat SM. Impact of postpartum exercise on pelvic floor disorders and diastasis recti abdominis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2025 Mar 31;59(8):562-575. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108619. PMID 39694630
- Laframboise FC, Schlaff RA, Baruth M. Postpartum Exercise Intervention Targeting Diastasis Recti Abdominis. Int J Exerc Sci. 2021 Apr 1;14(3):400-409. doi: 10.70252/GARZ3559. eCollection 2021. PMID 34055160
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07520409 · REC/RCR&AHS/25/0504