Julie Tupler, RN and founder of The Tupler Technique® and Diastasis Rehab
Click here to review the supporting research abstract published in the
Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy
Volume 29, No 1
Spring, 2005
Supporting Medical Foundation
Our abdominals are comprised of three layers. All three layers have a right and a left side and all three layers connect in the middle of the abdomen by connective tissue. The outermost layer is called the Rectus Abdominis ("the six-pack muscle"), the middle layer is our Oblique Abdominis and the innermost layer is the Transverse Abdominis.
With a diastasis recti, the connective tissue in the center is stretched thin allowing the outermost abdominal muscles ("the six-pack muscle") to separate. When the connective tissue that connects to two halves of this muscle becomes thin and weak it fails to protect the organs or support the back. If the separation is severe the organs will actually protrude, creating that unsightly bulge in the belly.
A diastasis is caused by the continuous forward forceful pressure on the weak part (belly button) of the connective tissue of the rectus abdominis. The most common cause of diastasis is pregnancy due to the combination of the pressure of the growing uterus and the effects of the pregnancy hormone relaxin that allows the connective tissue to stretch more than usual. But a diastasis can also be caused by a belly weight gain, doing abdominal exercises incorrectly and performing day to day functional movements incorrectly. Once a diastasis is created, it does not go away on its own. No amount of crunches or diet will fix this separation. The good news is that no matter how the diastasis was created it can be closed by doing the research based Tupler Technique®.
The foundation of the Tupler Technique® focuses on engaging and strengthening the innermost abdominal muscle (the transverse abdominis). This muscle wraps around the body like "a God given girdle". The action of the transverse is forward and backward. Since all three layers of the abdominals connect at the connective tissue in the center, the movement of one muscle effects the movement of the others. The transverse connects to the middle of the recti muscle. Every time the transverse goes back toward the spine it brings the recti with it, thereby shortening the recti muscle from the middle and making the diastasis smaller.
Not Just An Exercise Program
The Tupler Technique® is a rehabilitation program that specifically focuses on the way the body heals and strengthens. The Tummy Team directs all the education and instruction to effectively assist you to regain neuromuscular control of your core abdominal muscles and relearn how to use them correctly in ALL the activity of your life. It will become a state of mind and a way of life that will transform the way you carry yourself and function. You will feel strong, supported and powerful and your body will return to the way it was designed to function.
Our goal is to not get you stronger at exercises but to get you stronger at your LIFE!
Before The Tummy Team
The connective tissue that connects the two sides of the abdominals is stretched wide and thin with a Diastasis Recti
After The Tummy Team
The connective tissue is restored to its intended thick and narrow position and the abdominals are strengthened and pulled together.
Click here to learn how to check yourself for diastasis recti.
Click here to learn more about signs and sypmtoms of diastasis recti.
Click here to read other articles by Julie Tupler and other publications on The Tupler Technique®
The Tummy Team provides training for men, women and children based on the The Tupler Technique® developed by registered nurse Julie Tupler. Julie Tupler developed the The Tupler Technique® after working with patients suffering from back injuries and then working for years with pregnant and postnatal women. The link between back injuries and the issues pregnant women struggle with became clear. Julie is also a childbirth educator and has worked extensively with women during pregnancy "preparing for the marathon of labor" and after pregnancy to "lose their mummy tummy". Weak core strength and specifically a condition called Diastasis Recti were common in nearly all of her clients. Julie saw the link and the need for an effective non surgical solution. Now, after years of working with this condition she has been named an expert on treating Diastasis Recti.
Julie Tupler has published countless articles related to the treatment of this condition. Columbia Physical Therapy Department conducted a research study to confirm the effectiveness of The Tupler Technique®. The Tupler Technique® is the only research supported program that has been proven to repair the diastasis recti through exercise.
The Tummy Team has the only licensed Tupler Technique® Instructors currently on the West Coast. Julie Tupler personally and extensively trains each instructor before they can be licensed to teach her program to others.
