Diastasis Recti, Belly Binding & Sweating

Belly binding refers to using a splint or binder to reduce the appearance of your waist or to help pull a diastasis recti gap (or abdominal separation) together.  What can it do & what can’t it do?

I got sent the link to a bizarre video a while ago, showing an eminent plastic surgeon displaying an interesting side line in corsetry. Apparently all you have to do is wear some latex underwear that makes you sweat

There are many advocates of wearing a splint, or binding the stomach after childbirth, the ‘Tupler Technique’ being the most well-known.

Belly Binding is traditional in many parts of the world, & it may help you feel more comfortable if you have a wide diastasis (3/4 fingers or more) or until sensation returns following surgery.

A cotton & rubber belly binder (like a ‘Squeem’ which incidentally makes only aesthetic, not medical, claims as to its effects)  will certainly yank you in, support your back whilst you’re wearing it & make you look a little more streamlined under clothes. Which helps. But our eminent surgeon in the video has much grander claims for his rubber corsetry. ‘They make you sweat & so you’ll lose fat in that area’??  ‘It’ll increase your metabolism in that area & so make you lose fat underneath it’??

Hmmm. I believe we may be trespassing in the realms of Weight-Loss-BullS*** just a little here.

You CANNOT ‘spot reduce’ fat. This means that you cannot lose fat from one area of your body disproportionately. Exercise professionals have known this for years – if you over-exercise one specific muscle (for example your upper arm), without losing the fat that sits on top – you’ll get a bigger arm, not a smaller one.

So if you can’t do it by exercising, you honestly, really can’t do it by SWEATING.You lose water when you sweat, not fat. Just think, there’d be emaciated sauna enthusiasts collapsing in their droves all over Europe…

Sweating under latex underwear will not make your tummy flat.

So back to the Splints & Binders…

Belly binding or using a splint (even one specifically designed to be worn for exercise & to reduce a diastasis) will ‘hold you in & together’ & support your lower back whilst you’re wearing it, BUT what it can never do, is actually strengthen or tighten the muscles just by being worn.

Diastasis recti or abdominal separation can often be reduced with exercise – by strengthening & restoring your core muscles to reduce the size of your waist & increase stability & strength in your lower back.

An exercise programme that includes wearing a splint or belt will still only work to help close a diastasis recti IF you are engaging & working your transverse, pelvic floor & oblique abdominal muscles absolutely correctly, consistently & regularly.

The binder doesn’t do the job, the muscles do. The binder might pull them back in whilst you work them, which will assist with a severe gap (3-4 fingers or more), but don’t rely on it to do  the job for you.

What’s YOUR experience? I’d love to read your comments!

Learn how to narrow your waist, flatten your mummy tummy, strengthen your core, support your back AND improve a diastasis recti gap through the unique 4 Phases of MuTu® Core corrective exercises of MuTu System 12 week video coaching