It is very confusing when you are told that your flabby tummy is actually an umbilical hernia and you must surgically repair it if you have any hope of getting your tummy back in shape. Umbilical hernia's do happen but a hernia by definition means a tear in the connective tissue. A tear is usually painful and definitely allows parts of your intestines to poke through. It also makes your belly button push out in a weird fashion. To definitively diagnose a hernia like this you need to have a CAT scan or MRI. Often these tests cost several thousand dollars and are not always performed prior to surgery is recommended.
Unfortunately, many umbilical hernias are misdiagnosed diastasis recti. With a diastasis, the connective tissue between your abdominals is stretched so thin that it provides no support for your organs or your belly button. Surgery in that case turns into a patch job, applying mesh and sewing muscles together. Neither actually heal the stretched out tissue or rehabilitate the deflated core muscles that has resulted.
In addition, to the cost, extreme measures and long recovery, the patient is often told they can return to all their previous activities after they heal, including crunches, running and any form of exercise. This is so sad. I have personally worked with 4 ladies this year alone who had surgery and the stitches did not hold and they slowly started to see their abdominal wall separate again.
So, get all the information. There is a lot of information at www.thetummyteam.com about your options. Most clients see a difference in the first few days and we have saved hundreds of ladies from surgery. If nothing else, it will prepare your abdominals for a better recovery if you and your doctor still feel surgery is required. It is a minimal risk, as the program is very inexpensive (especially when compared to surgery) and the program has a huge success rate.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Why do we not know more about Diastasis Recti?
This is a question that I get a lot! How can this medical condition be so prominent in women, men and children and most people have never heard of it? How can 98% of women who have had babies have some form of diastasis but it is never diagnosed?
I am a Physical Therapist and I was a high level athlete most of my youth into my twenties and I have great body awareness and I had no idea that this was what was causing my post baby belly and contributing to my back pain, stress incontinence and pelvic instability. People who know much less about the body are even less likely to figure it out. Why?
Well, I believe the number one reason that we don't know much about this condition is that until recently there has not been a great solution for the problem. Sadly, if medical professionals do not have cure, whether it is medication, surgery or some other treatment they tend to not look for the condition. Yes, diastasis recti can be treated by traditional Physical Therapy and there are plastic surgeons who will sew the tummy back together or put mesh in the separation and do a tummy tuck, but neither of these solutions have been ideal.
Diastasis recti is a condition that has not been effectively healed with traditional Physical Therapy. I do not say this to be challenging, I say it because it is true. While there may be a few PT's out there that have effectively helped their clients heal- it is rare. We learn little about this condition in school and little about rehabilitation to the abdominal wall. PT's are awesome at treating low back pain, SI and Pelvis Instability and Pelvic Floor dysfunction but most PT's do not even check their clients with these symptoms for a diastasis. When they do find a diastasis, they tend to do core stabilization treatments which are often done in back-lying or all 4's positions- both of which make it very difficult for the transverse to activate effectively to help close a the separated abdominal wall. The healing and rehabilitation process is slow and monotonous and that is difficult to do in a traditional PT session setting.
Plastic surgery is not the answer either. First of all, it is not covered by your insurance most of the time, even when you are having serious pain and medical complications. Second of all, if you simply stitch muscle tissue together or insert mesh to hold the wall together and do nothing to change what caused the problem in the first place then it will slowly separate again. I have had 5 women in the past year in my workshops who had mesh inserted or plastic surgery to repair their tummy and then came to me months or years later. All of them had a separated their abdominal wall again. Surgery is good for extra skin but it is not the answer to fix the core muscle problem.
So... if the doctor does not know how to help you then they are less likely to go looking for this condition.
This is not the only reason Diastasis Recti is not diagnosed. It is also not understood how much a separated abdominal wall can contribute to the very common complaints of back pain and pelvis instability. It is not the only thing going on but it is a big piece of the puzzle that has been overlooked.
The good news is there is a NON SURGICAL, NON INVASIVE, INEXPENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE solution! The Tupler Technique is based on research and has helped thousands of women and men heal their diastasis.
Do not be discouraged if your doctor, midwife or chiropractor does not diagnose your diastasis or does not know there is a cure. We are working hard to change that . But take charge of your own health. If you think this might be something you are struggling with get more information at www.thetummyteam.com. You do not have to continue to struggle, there is a solution.
I am a Physical Therapist and I was a high level athlete most of my youth into my twenties and I have great body awareness and I had no idea that this was what was causing my post baby belly and contributing to my back pain, stress incontinence and pelvic instability. People who know much less about the body are even less likely to figure it out. Why?
Well, I believe the number one reason that we don't know much about this condition is that until recently there has not been a great solution for the problem. Sadly, if medical professionals do not have cure, whether it is medication, surgery or some other treatment they tend to not look for the condition. Yes, diastasis recti can be treated by traditional Physical Therapy and there are plastic surgeons who will sew the tummy back together or put mesh in the separation and do a tummy tuck, but neither of these solutions have been ideal.
Diastasis recti is a condition that has not been effectively healed with traditional Physical Therapy. I do not say this to be challenging, I say it because it is true. While there may be a few PT's out there that have effectively helped their clients heal- it is rare. We learn little about this condition in school and little about rehabilitation to the abdominal wall. PT's are awesome at treating low back pain, SI and Pelvis Instability and Pelvic Floor dysfunction but most PT's do not even check their clients with these symptoms for a diastasis. When they do find a diastasis, they tend to do core stabilization treatments which are often done in back-lying or all 4's positions- both of which make it very difficult for the transverse to activate effectively to help close a the separated abdominal wall. The healing and rehabilitation process is slow and monotonous and that is difficult to do in a traditional PT session setting.
Plastic surgery is not the answer either. First of all, it is not covered by your insurance most of the time, even when you are having serious pain and medical complications. Second of all, if you simply stitch muscle tissue together or insert mesh to hold the wall together and do nothing to change what caused the problem in the first place then it will slowly separate again. I have had 5 women in the past year in my workshops who had mesh inserted or plastic surgery to repair their tummy and then came to me months or years later. All of them had a separated their abdominal wall again. Surgery is good for extra skin but it is not the answer to fix the core muscle problem.
So... if the doctor does not know how to help you then they are less likely to go looking for this condition.
This is not the only reason Diastasis Recti is not diagnosed. It is also not understood how much a separated abdominal wall can contribute to the very common complaints of back pain and pelvis instability. It is not the only thing going on but it is a big piece of the puzzle that has been overlooked.
The good news is there is a NON SURGICAL, NON INVASIVE, INEXPENSIVE AND EFFECTIVE solution! The Tupler Technique is based on research and has helped thousands of women and men heal their diastasis.
Do not be discouraged if your doctor, midwife or chiropractor does not diagnose your diastasis or does not know there is a cure. We are working hard to change that . But take charge of your own health. If you think this might be something you are struggling with get more information at www.thetummyteam.com. You do not have to continue to struggle, there is a solution.
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