ArticleMusculoskeletal care2026
Association Between Diastasis of the Rectus Abdominis Muscles and Musculoskeletal Conditions in the First 2 Years Postpartum: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Article in Musculoskeletal care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo explore associations between the presence and severity of diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles (DRAM) and common postpartum musculoskeletal complaints in the first 2 years postpartum. STUDY
designCross-sectional survey among women within 2 years of childbirth.
backgroundDRAM commonly affects women during pregnancy and postpartum, but its relationship with musculoskeletal complaints remains unclear. This study investigates the association between DRAM and postpartum musculoskeletal complaints, including low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, abdominal pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. METHODS AND MEASURES: Participants were identified from medical records of women who had delivered a baby in the previous 2 years at Southwest Healthcare, Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. An electronic questionnaire collected data on DRAM presence and severity (self-reported based on self-assessment or prior healthcare professional screening), musculoskeletal complaints, and pelvic floor dysfunction both currently (within the past week) and early postpartum (within the first 3 months). Statistical univariate and multivariate regression analyses explored associations between DRAM presence or severity and reported symptoms adjusted for age, parity, delivery method and time since last delivery.
resultsOf 177 respondents (from 785 survey invitations), 38% (n = 70) reported DRAM. In multivariate analysis, DRAM presence was significantly associated with current (p = 0.034) and early postpartum (p = 0.037) abdominal discomfort, and urinary urgency symptoms early postpartum (p = 0.033). No significant associations were found between DRAM and low back pain, pelvic girdle pain, or stress urinary incontinence.
conclusionDRAM was weakly associated with abdominal discomfort and urinary urgency symptoms but not with other musculoskeletal complaints. These findings align with limited previous research on this topic. More data are needed to explore the association between DRAM severity and musculoskeletal disorders.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.