Episode 1632 - Measuring IRD vs. strength: which matters more‪?‬ #PTonICE Daily Show

Dr. Alexis Morgan // #ICEPelvic // www.ptonice.com 


In today's episode of the PT on ICE Daily Show, #ICEPelvic division leader Alexis Morgan defines interrectus distance and how to measure it, how to functionally measure core strength, and the limitations of focusing on interrectus distance with patients.
Take a listen to learn how to better serve this population of patients & athletes or check out the full show notes on our blog at www.ptonice.com/blog.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION
Hey everyone, this is Alan. Chief Operating Officer here at ICE. Before we get started with today’s episode, I want to talk to you about VersaLifts. Today’s episode is brought to you by VersaLifts. Best known for their heel lift shoe inserts, VersaLifts has been a leading innovator in bringing simple but highly effective rehab tools to the market. If you have clients with stiff ankles, Achilles tendinopathy, or basic skeletal structure limitations keeping them from squatting with proper form and good depth, a little heel lift can make a huge difference. VersaLifts heel lifts are available in three different sizes and all of them add an additional half inch of drop to any training shoe, helping athletes squat deeper with better form. Visit www.vlifts.com/icephysio or click the link in today’s show notes to get your VersaLifts today.

ALEXIS MORGAN
Good morning, PT on Ice. Getting both our cameras going here. Good morning, PT on Ice Daily Show. My name is Dr. Alexis Morgan, and I am excited to be with you on this morning, this new year. Happy New Year, everyone. And let's talk about measuring IRD or inter rectus distance versus measuring strength. Which one matters more? So to jump right into the topic here, Interrectus distance is a common measurement that individuals are going to be taking in pelvic health.

WHAT IS INTERRECTUS DISTANCE (IRD)?
So interrectus distance is the distance or the measurement of the linea alba width. It's that linea alba between the rectus abdominis on the left compared to on the right. What is that distance between? That's our interrectus distance. Many people advocate for measuring interrectus distance. Number one, it's measured in a lot of our scientific studies that is looking at diastasis recti. There's a lot of studies that are looking at it. And so if they're looking at it in the studies, well, maybe we should be looking at it in clinic as well. It's also repeatable. We can measure it the exact same way and we can see if there is change. And we like data that we can measure and we can see if there is change. So people are definitely advocating for its use. There are some benefits from measuring change. Obviously, you're here at ICE, you know that we are recommending to be able to test and retest to see those differences in all aspects of care. So, of course, we should be recommending that here, right? Well, we do recommend testing and retesting in this space.

MEASURING STRENGTH
However, we recommend measuring strength. So, measuring strength entails getting functional with your clients. One of our favorite tests is the sit-up test. We talk about it in our online course, and it is a way in which you can measure how strong an individual's rectus abdominis is. So they're sitting up. How much support do they need from their legs? How much support do they need from their arms? Do they need to whip themselves up or can they control th