The Refine Blog

Ever see someone in your feed and wonder how they got there? 😂 Just me?? In case that’s you, then let this be my intro to you so you can decide if you want to follow or not! 😉 I’m Tanya – wife to my husband of over 20 years, mom of five, a doctor […]

Should I wear a brace or binder if I have ab separation or core weakness postpartum? My quick answer? Most likely not. Now, of course, there are times when a brace might be beneficial early postpartum with a large diastasis. But for most of the women I work with, I’m not recommending a brace or […]

I happen to see a fair amount of women who have actually seen a pelvic PT before they come and work with me – either in-person or through one of my courses. Some common stories I hear from them are: “I was just given kegels, and there wasn’t a lot more that we did.” “ […]

The FEAR you have over making a “mistake” with diastasis is actually keeping you from healing. I get it because I work with SO many women who are scared they’ll do something wrong and make their diastasis worse. They’re afraid to lift, exercise, and even do daily tasks like picking up their toddlers or bathing […]

You’ve probably heard these diastasis ‘rules’—but are they true? Let’s find out! 🤔 1. Planks and crunches are always bad – FALSE. I give crunches and planks to my diastasis patients all the time. The KEY is working with someone who is trained and can show you how to do them well! When they are […]

Mom of 5 came to see me for 2 appts PP. She said to me, “I thought this would be my new normal.” Her complaints consisted of prolapse symptoms and leaking, as well as a small diastasis. Her goal was to not leak when sneezing and coughing, and she wanted to return to her Zumba […]

Diastasis is no longer a diagnosis to be feared, and most women will be able to heal their diastasis with women’s health physical therapy.

Chelsey is now 22 weeks! She’s been working out 4-5x/week, lifting heavy weights and doing “normal” workouts. We discussed some modifications she could make as needed to eliminate some hip pain, and also discussed some strategies for diastasis (ab muscle separation).

It does NOT take a lot of time.
It DOES take a small bit of intentionality.