Will a c-section scar effect the closing of my diastasis recti?

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Julie Tupler

Yes it will! It will make the process much harder.

When you get any type of surgical incision, there is a scar. A scar causes an adhesion. What this means is that one layer of  tissue is “stuck” to the underlying layer. The tissues are meant to move freely over each other. So when they are stuck together,  it is going to be much harder to close your diastasis on the bottom.  So after your scar is healed you must do what is called scar mobilization. That means separating the two layers that are stuck together.

If you are uncomfortable about doing this yourself, you can always go to a physical therapist for this. They can do this manually for you or you can have them do lazar therapy on it. My licensee, Jill Hoefs , who is a physical therapist in NYC, does this therapy on all my  clients that have had a c-section. If you have questions about this please go to her website at www.BodyAlignPT.com

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Will the Tupler Technique help with back pain?

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Julie Tupler

Back pain is a side effect of a diastasis recti. The outermost abdominal muscles (rectus abominis) is the support system for the back. When the muscles separate and the connective tissue stretches sideways, it is now the connective tissue supporting the back instead of the muscle if they were together. So closing a diastasis will help back pain.

My licensee, Laura Weisberg, who is a physical therapist that owns Forward Physical Therapy, has shared a letter from one of her clients.  This woman has had back problems for 25 years! Here is her letter.

IT IS TRULY AMAZING
For more than 25 years, I had regular mid back pain, ranging from slight to severe. About two years ago, my SI joint upslipped and rotated. Through physical therapy I had been able to manage it-but it would be OK for a week or maybe two and then it upslipped and or rotated and the pain returned. I would get it adjusted and a week of two later, it upslipped and/or rotated and I needed it adjusted again. Sitting was the worst, so I often brought a mat with me so I could lie down rather than sit. I dreaded car rides and airplane rides.

And then, six weeks, ago, I started the Tupler Course at Forward Physical Therapy. My first class was the day before I flew to NY and Italy for a three week vacation. I almost did not go on this trip because I feared what all the flying and driving would do to my back. But I did my exercises, wore by Tupler splint, and lo and behold, despite flights, car rides, and no visit to the physical therapist, I HAD NO PAIN! I could not believe it. My mid back pain is now rare and mild and my SI joint remains level and I have no lower back pain. And my stomach is getting smaller, but that is just a bonus. It is the virtual end of back pain problems that had made me a believer in the Tupler method.

Rosalind Andrews
Knoxville, Tennessee

 

 

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Back pain and diastasis recti, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Diastasis Rehab Splint, Splinting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Wearing the Diastasis Rehab Splint® Weaken My Muscles?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Julie Tupler

This is a question that I am asked frequently.  It is a good question because some abdominal binders do weaken your muscles. The Diastasis Rehab Splint® will not weaken your muscles. The purpose of this splint is to approximate or pull together your separated muscles. When you bring them closer together, it makes the Tupler Technique® exercises more effective.  So wearing this splint will actually make your abdominals stronger! Bringing them closer together helps you feel the muscles working while you are doing the exercises. It also puts  your connective tissue in a better position to heal.  And closing a diastasis is all about healing your connective tissue.  Wearing this splint cannot be compared to wearing cast where movement is limited.  Belly binders, whose function is compression (to bring the belly back to the splint) will weaken your muscles as they are doing the work that the muscles need to be doing. When you do the Tupler Technique®Program you will strengthen your abdominal muscles so that they can then do the job of the belly binder.

 

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Diastasis on Women, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Diastasis Rehab Splint, Splinting, Tupler Technique®, Working out with a diastasis recti | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do I Hold in My Transverse Muscle When I am Doing Aerobic Activities?

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Julie Tupler

This is a question people ask me ALL the time because one of the 4 steps of the Tupler Technique® is for you to  hold in your transverse muscle  at 5th floor on the work of everything you do. So it makes sense to think that would include aerobic activities.  However, it does NOT!   When you are doing aerobic activities, like walking or running, you need to belly breathe because you need lots of oxygen for this type of activity.  That means as you are walking you are expanding your belly to first floor and then exhaling bringing your belly to 5th floor.  When you get to 5th floor………give it a little squeeze!  So although you are not holding it at 5th floor, you are still  working your transverse muscle with every breath you take! Try it. Giving your body more oxygen will give you more stamina when doing your aerobic activities.

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Belly Breathing, Breathing with Transverse muscle, Diastasis Rehab, Tupler Technique®, Working out with a diastasis recti | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Importance of Doing “Just” the Tupler Technique® the First Six Weeks of the Program

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Julie Tupler

It takes six weeks to strengthen your inner most abdominal muscle (transverse muscle) with the Tupler Technique ® Program so this muscle is then strong enough for you to be able to engage it when performing both your stretching and strengthening exercises in week six of the program. This is hard to do unless this muscle is strong! Working out before this muscle is strong enough, will put intra-abdominal force on your weak connective tissue not allowing it to heal.

Closing a diastasis recti is all about healing the connective tissue and strengthening the transverse abdominal muscle. Healing the  weakened connective tissue means being “kind” to your connective tissue.  You can do this by not stretching it or putting any intra-abdominal force or weight on it.

Wearing a Diastasis Rehab Splint ® takes the stretch off the connective tissue putting it in a better position to heal.  It also brings the muscles closer together making the exercises more effective.

Strengthening your transverse muscle with the Tupler Technique® exercises will bring blood flow to the connective tissue helping it heal AND make it strong enough to engage   this muscle with “every” repetition of your workout.

So hang in there!  Just know that incorporating the Tupler Technique® into your workout will make it much more effective and challenging….. while maintaining the results you’ve achieved in the process of closing your diastasis.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Diastasis Rehab Splint, Splinting, Tupler Technique®, Working out with a diastasis recti | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should I get my umbilical hernia repaired?

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Julie Tupler

Whether you decide to have surgery for you umbilical hernia or not…..it is important to do the 4 step Tupler Technique ® Program first!

If you get your umbilical hernia repaired and you have a diastasis recti, more than likely the umbilical hernia will reoccur!  The umbilical hernia is a side effect of the diastasis recti. Closing a diastasis is all about healing the connective tissue. When you heal the connective tissue you then provide support to the umbilicus.

If you decide to have the surgery, by doing this program you will have both the strength and knowledge of how to use your abdominal muscles to be able to maintain the integrity of the sutures after your surgery.

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Surgery for Umbilical Hernia, Tupler Technique®, Umbilical Hernia | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

If I have a diastasis recti and plan to get pregnant again soon….when do I start the Tupler Technique® Program?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Julie Tupler

 

You start the program immediately….if not sooner! You want to begin making your diastasis smaller before you get pregnant and then to continue to make it smaller during your pregnancy. It is also important to start preparing your body for your next pregnancy.

This program can be done “anytime” during your pregnancy and continued all the way to the end of your pregnancy. However, women get the best results the earlier they start.  It can also be started immediately after giving birth. A great time to do the seated exercises is while feeding your baby!

The goal of this program during pregnancy is not only to make your diastasis smaller but  to train you how to push so that it is then second nature for you when you get to labor. It is impossible to do a new skill when you are in pain! You must therefore practice this new skill and strengthen your abdominal muscles so they are strong enough to push for as long as necessary without getting tired.   When you get to labor  you will then be able to push with your strengthened and splinted abdominal muscles while relaxing your pelvic floor muscles!

Our evidenced based research showed that during our six week program utilizing the Tupler Technique,® women’s diastasis were getting smaller as their bellies were getting larger! Because of this I contacted Columbia University Program in Physical Therapy. They conducted a study with pregnant women that proved that the women that did the Tupler Technique® during their pregnancy had a smaller diastasis than the control group who did not do this program.

A  diastasis recti can cause two major problems for you. Separated muscles weaken the support system for the back causing back problems during and after pregnancy. The other problem is the separated muscles weaken the support system for your organs. Lack of support of the uterus puts the cervix out of alignment with the vaginal canal. This will make pushing very difficult during labor.

The two DVDs I recommend during pregnancy are the Tupler Technique® Perfect Pushing® and the Diastasis Rehab Lose Your Mummy Tummy.®  Both DVDs teach the 4- step Tupler Technique.®  The Tupler Technique® Perfect Pushing® will teach you everything you need to know about pushing and the modifications how to  exercise during pregnancy. The Diastasis Rehab Lose Your Mummy Tummy® will teach you the fundamentals for incorporating the Tupler Technique® into an exercise routine and then show you a routine demonstrating how to do this.

If you know you will be having a c-section, I also recommend the The Tupler Technique® Ab Rehab® DVD. This DVD will help you prepare for and recover from abdominal surgery.

 

Posted in Diastasis During Pregnancy, Diastasis on Women, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mistakes When Putting on the Diastasis Rehab Splint®

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Julie Tupler

It important to put the Diastasis Rehab Splint® on”correctly” to get the most benefit from wearing it.  After watching the way my clients put it on, I realized I needed to do another video showing the mistakes that were made and how to correct them.

So here is the video

Hope this helps

Julie

 

 

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Diastasis Rehab Splint, Splinting | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Questions & Answers about the Tupler Technique® Program During Pregnancy

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Julie Tupler

1. Is it safe to splint during pregnancy with only a small diastasis recti?  And can the splint be worn during labor?
Yes, it is safe to wear a splint during pregnancy whether you have a small or large diastasis. If you do all 4 steps of the program you can make your diastasis smaller during your pregnancy.  Some pregnant women love wearing a splint. Others do not want to wear anything the least bit binding.  If you are one of those women who do not like to wear anything, I recommend that you “hold” a splint (scarf or arms of your sweater) while doing the seated and back lying exercise. Also to “hold” a splint while pushing in labor.  Please watch the video on the Perfect Pushing  page on my website that talks about why it is important to splint the muscles while pushing. The splint can also be worn during labor.

Does the program help women who choose an epidural
Yes.  Many of my clients where able to push effectively with an epidural.  If you practice pushing as taught on my Perfect Pushing DVD, you will have both the strength and body awareness to push in labor.  You simply close your eyes and visualize the abdominal muscles going back and the pelvic floor muscles opening and relaxing.  Your body has “muscle memory” and will know how to do this especially if you practice this everyday when you go to the bathroom!

3. How do I choose the correct size for a pregnancy splint?  I am about 28 weeks currently but will still be growing.
You need  to measure what you are now and get one size larger. Then you put a hem in the arms of the splint to make it small enough to fit you now. As you get bigger you make the arms longer by taking out the hem. 

4. Am I correct in assuming I will need a different post-partum splint size?  If so, is it best to wait to purchase a splint until after pregnancy?
After wearing it your whole pregnancy, you may want to get a new one after your pregnancy. If you find you do not like wearing a splint during pregnancy then you will have it for after the pregnancy. It takes six weeks for the uterus to go back to its normal size so if you are buying one size larger it should fit you.  The ability to make the arms shorter  gives you lots of flexibility.
Many of my pregnant ladies like wearing it over the Be Maternity Be Band. It seems to stay in place better.

 

 

 

Posted in Abdominal Separation, Diastasis During Pregnancy, Diastasis on Women, Diastasis recti, Diastasis Rehab, Diastasis Rehab Splint, Online Support Program, Pushing in labor with the Tupler Technique, Splinting, Tupler Technique® | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

CRUNCH FREE ABS in Real Simple Article (February,2012)

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Julie Tupler

CRUNCHES MAKE A DIASTASIS LARGER

Strengthening the transverse muscle is key in healing the connective tissue and closing your diastasis recti.

Crunches make a diastasis larger!

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