PRONE PLANK EXERCISES VERSUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION FOR THE TREATMENT OF DIASTASIS RECTUS ABDOMINIS IN POSTPARTUM WOMEN

Abstract

Doaa S. Darwish*, Nermeen K. Bleedy, Eman A. Elhosary, Ahmed I. Ebeed and Shaimaa E. Salem

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