Ana Beatriz da Fonseca Nunes, Thawan da Luz Matias, Emádia Bezerra Campelo, Maria Gabrielly da Silva, Clara Cecília de Oliveira Candido, Larissa Ramalho Dantas Varella Dutra, Caio Alano de Almeida Lins, Vanessa Patrícia Soares de Sousa

SUMMARY
Introduction. In the postpartum period, the female body undergoes hormonal, anatomical, and physiological changes that can negatively impact musculoskeletal health and lead to conditions such as Diastasis Recti Abdominis. Low Pressure Fitness (LPF®) has been used in clinical practice; however, there is still no consensus on its effects on the abdominal wall and whether it can effectively reduce diastasis in this population. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of LPF® on diastasis recti abdominis in this population.
Methods. This is a blinded randomized clinical trial in which 86 volunteers will be randomly allocated to two groups of 43 participants each: control group (Kinesiotherapy) and experimental group (LPF®). The interventions will last for 8 weeks, and outcome measures will include abdominal diastasis, pelvic floor muscle function, trunk resistance, pain, functionality, quality of life, posture, perception of overall effect, and patient expectation with treatment. Statistical significance will be set at 5% with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI).
Conclusions. This protocol was developed to elucidate the effects of LPF® as a treatment for abdominal diastasis in postpartum women compared to traditional treatment methods.
Study registration. Brazilian Clinical Trials Registry (identifier: RBR-3xtxhtz).
KEY WORDS
Muscle diastasis; physical therapy; postpartum period; abdominal rectus; exercise therapy.