Frequency of Diastasis Recti Abdominis in Pregnant Women of Third Trimester
Diastasis Recti in Women of Third Trimester
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55735/hjprs.v3i9.205Keywords:
diastasis recti abdominis, frequency, pregnant, third trimesterAbstract
Background: Diastasis of recti abdominis has been defined as the separation of the bundles of muscles that are present lateral to the linea alba. It has been observed during pregnancy, postpartum and even in postmenopausal women. Literature shows us that a lot of work has been conducted on this subject in Western countries but Pakistan lacks this kind of authentic literature. Objective: This study aims to determine the frequency of Diastasis recti abdominis in pregnant women in their third trimester. Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study. The sample of this study was n=169. Pregnant females in their third trimester with diastasis recti abdominis were recruited in this study. The finger width method was used to test the presence of diastasis recti abdominis. The data for this study was collected from the obstetric department of Jinnah, Fatima Memorial, General and Itifaq Hospitals, Lahore, Pakistan. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants in this study. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23. The quantitative variables were represented as mean and standard deviation. An alpha level of 0.05 was chosen as a significant level. Results: 52 pregnant females in their third trimester out of 169 were diagnosed with diastasis recti abdominis. The width of their muscle separation was recorded to be greater than 2 cm. The range of age for the recruited pregnant females in their third trimester was 18 years to 40 years. 110 pregnant females out of 169 were in the age range of 24 years to 32 years. It was also observed that not all the pregnant females recruited in this study had diastasis recti abdominis but 48.5% of the participants had lower back pain which was confirmed by finger width test. Conclusion: This study concludes that the frequency of diastasis recti abdominis in pregnant females in their third trimester is 30.8%. This study also concludes that Diastasis recti abdominis was common in pregnant females of age greater than 30 years. This study concludes that diastasis recti abdominis was more common in pregnant females who were not engaged in any sort of regular exercise.
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