Prone plank exercises versus electrical stimulation for the treatment of diastasis rectus abdominis in postpartum women

• Darwish, Doaa S. ^[1] ; Bleedy, Nermeen K. ; Elhosary, Eman A. ; Ebeed, Ahmed I. ^[1] ; Salem, Shaimaa E.
  1. [1] Kafrelsheikh University

     Kafrelsheikh University

     Egipto

     
• Localización: Revista iberoamericana de psicología del ejercicio y el deporte, ISSN 1886-8576, Vol. 19, Nº. 1, 2024, págs. 96-100
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Objective: To compare the effectiveness of prone plank exercises with electrical stimulation on improving waist-hip ratio (WHR) and interrectus distance (IRD) in postpartum women.

    Design: Randomized, controlled trial.

    Setting: Outpatient physical therapy clinics at Kafrelsheikh University between March 2023 and February 2024.

    Participants: Forty-two postpartum women, aged 20 to 35 years, were randomly allocated into two groups: prone plank exercises (Group A) and electrical stimulation (Group B). Interventions: Group A performed prone plank exercises, while Group B received electrical stimulation. Interventions were administered triweekly for eight weeks.

    Main Outcome Measures: WHR was assessed by measuring tape and IRD was assessed by ultrasonography, evaluated both pre- and post-intervention.

    Results: Both groups showed Significant improvement within each group (p ≤ 0.05). Comparatively, posttreatment analyses revealed significant improvements in WHR and IRD in Group A over Group B, with no significant pre-treatment differences between groups.

    Conclusions: Prone plank exercises were superior to electrical stimulation in improving waist-hip ratio and interrectus distance in postpartum women. These findings suggest that prone plank exercises could be recommended for postpartum rehabilitation to improve abdominal separation and reduce waist size