INTRODUCTION: During pregnancy, enormous changes occur in the mother, triggered by hormonal alterations. As the pregnancy progresses, the hormones action in tissues to biomechanical changes associated with intrauterine growth, may cause the separation of the abdominal muscles (diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles), which extends into the postpartum period, being considered diastasis the separation greater than 3 cm. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the relationship between the value of measurements of diastasis of abdominal and obstetric variables among women in public maternity hospitals in João Pessoa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 postpartum women were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: fertile age, being in early puerperium and not having received physical therapy to correct the diastasis during hospitalization. There was a survey of obstetric and clinic background via a questionnaire. Subsequently, we evaluated the diastasis with a caliper. To analyze the correlation between the event and the variables, we used the chi-quadrado. RESULTS: The women who had diastasis were multiparous, aged between 19 and 30 years old, and had their children through normal deliveries, with short intervals between pregnancies. Regarding the location, there was a higher incidence of diastasis associated with supra-umbilical cord separation. CONCLUSION: The diastasis is an expressive condition, since 56 women had it. Thus, there is a need for a more detailed assessment of pregnant women by health professionals so that there is an early intervention, through a protocol of care during the prenatal period, since it brings risk to the mother and future pregnancy.
Diastasis of the rectus abdominis; Physioterapy; Puerperium
