Efficacy of standardized rehabilitation in the treatment of diastasis rectus abdominis in postpartum women in eastern China

Background: The aim of the study is to retrospective summarize the experience and efficacy in the treatment of Diastasis Rectus Abdominis (DRA) via standardized rehabilitation procedures in eastern China. Methods This retrospective study included the parturients with DRA from January 2017 to May 2021 at the Xishan People’s Hospital of Wuxi. Patients were separated standardized rehabilitation group (SR) and non-standardized rehabilitation group (non-SR). The outcomes were the change of rectus abdominis separation and Physical Functioning Scale (PFs). Data of measurement were compared between the two groups using Student's t-test or Fisher's exact test. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the factors associated with standardized rehabilitation process. P value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results A total of 294 patients with DRA were included in the study. Among the 294 patients, 171 patients were treated with SR (SR), and the other 123 patients were treated without SR process (non-SR). Comparing with non-SR, the separation of the rectus abdominis was statistically significantly reduced in SR after standardized rehabilitation treatment (p value<0.0001). The results of multiple linear regression model analysis suggested that standardized rehabilitation is an independent factor influencing the prognosis of DRA in Parturients (P<0.0001). The quality of life of the study group was statistically significantly improved (p value<0.0001). Conclusions Standardized rehabilitation method has the advantages of high efficiency in the treatment of DRA in postpartum women and can improve the quality of life of parturients.