In the third trimester the ‘sixpack’ abdominal muscles separate to allow room for the baby to grow. Within the first three months postpartum, in about half of women these muscles come back together properly. In the other half a separation remains, known as a diastasis recti.

We hear about this often as an aesthetic issue. It can create a ‘mommy pooch’ or it still might look like you’re pregnant. And while that’s a totally fine reason to seek care, the issue goes much deeper (quite literally).

A diastasis means something in your core system is compromised and is linked to low back pain, incontinence, prolapse and painful intercourse. It can be an underlying driver of pelvic health issues.

In this episode we go through a simple self-evaluation to determine if you might have a diastasis, but the gold standard is a thorough evaluation from a pelvic floor physical therapist.

Most people go directly to trying exercises they find off the internet. But there’s no one size fits all approach for treating a diastasis. A pelvic floor therapist will identify why the muscles haven’t closed up, manually work to address the issue, and only then will exercises be effective.

No matter how long it’s been you can absolutely still resolve a diastasis (without surgery). Whether your goals are aesthetic or functional, treating a diastasis can improve both.

About Us

Dr. Nicole and Jesse Cozean are the founders of PelvicSanity Physical Therapy (www.pelvicsanity.com) in Southern California. The clinic has helped thousands of patients in the Orange County, CA area and hundreds from around the world with a remote consultation and Out of Town Program.

They co-authored The IC Solution and Nicole created The IC Roadmap online course to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information for those with interstitial cystitis. They run the Finding Pelvic Sanity Facebook group for a supportive online community for anyone dealing with pelvic health issues.

Nicole has also created courses and trained thousands of pelvic PTs to provide better care through her work with Pelvic PT Rising (www.pelvicptrising.com).

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Follow @pelvicsanity for great info!
• Join the Finding PelvicSanity support group
• Check out www.pelvicsanity.com for additional help!

And as always, we hope this has helped you find just a bit of pelvic sanity!

The answer will surprise you! The myth that acidity in the body or bladder is responsible for IC symptoms is one of the most harmful out there.

In this 'sode we go through why the pH of urine has no effect on symptoms, how 'acid in' does not equal 'acid out', and what we should be doing instead. We hope this 'sode helps to free you from 'food jail' and you can become more confident in what you eat!

The Myth: Ingesting acidic foods or beverages makes urine more acidic, irritating the bladder and flaring symptoms.

The Truth: While some acidic foods are common triggers for IC, the body is extremely complex and 'acid in' doesn't equal 'acid out.' Many foods that contain acid are considered entirely 'IC-safe,' while some basic (meaning non-acidic) foods and drinks can also be major triggers. Furthermore, acidic urine has been proven to be no more painful than neutral urine for patients with IC.

The two rules of diet changes with IC are simple: avoid your personal trigger foods and eat healthy. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.

PelvicSanity Remote Consultation

If you're local to Southern California, we'd love to work with you to address the 'why' of your symptoms and help you find lasting relief!

If you're not in SoCal, we can still help! Check out our Remote Consultation Program (www.pelvicsanity.com/remote) for how our team can get you on the path to healing.

About Us

Dr. Nicole and Jesse Cozean are the founders of PelvicSanity Physical Therapy (www.pelvicsanity.com) in Southern California. The clinic has helped thousands of patients in the Orange County, CA area and hundreds from around the world with a remote consultation and Out of Town Program.

They co-authored The IC Solution and Nicole created The IC Roadmap online course to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information for those with interstitial cystitis. They run the Finding Pelvic Sanity Facebook group for a supportive online community for anyone dealing with pelvic health issues.

Nicole has also created courses and trained thousands of pelvic PTs to provide better care through her work with Pelvic PT Rising (www.pelvicptrising.com).

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Follow @pelvicsanity for great info!
• Join the Finding PelvicSanity support group
• Check out www.pelvicsanity.com for additional help!

And as always, we hope this has helped you find just a bit of pelvic sanity!

There's a wide variety of expertise when it comes to pelvic floor physical therapy. Unfortunately many patients have to go to several different ones before finding a true expert.

You might think that finding a pelvic PT who has a lot of experience means you'll be getting great care. But that's not necessarily the case.

In this 'sode we discuss why experience doesn't necessarily equal quality. In fact, sometimes more experienced therapists are still using outdated techniques they learned 20+ years ago, while someone newer to the field was trained in more contemporary methods.

So what should you be looking for to ensure you get the best care? Really, you're looking for three things:

1. Specialty Clinic: You want to find a practice that specializes exclusively in treating pelvic health. It means they have more experience with people like you and is much more likely they have specialty training instead of just 'dabbling' in pelvic health.
2. Hour-Long Treatment Sessions: You want to work hands-on and 1:1 with your pelvic PT for a full hour. No aides, no watching you exercise, no double-booked patients so they can't focus on you the entire time. These conditions are complex and you need time with the actual specialist!
3. Both internal and external treatment at every visit: Often it's only one or the other. Some pelvic PTs don't have the skills to work outside the pelvic floor, and they are just doing internal or using biofeedback the whole time. Others just 'check' the pelvic floor once and then treat entirely externally. You need the combination to see the whole picture.

Local to Southern California?

We'd love to work with you to completely resolve your incontinence and pelvic floor issues. If you're local to Southern California, please give our PelvicSanity (www.pelvicsanity.com) team a call - we'll be happy to answer any questions and get you started!

Whether we're your first call or you've been to multiple other pelvic PTs and physicians, you can absolutely find lasting relief!

About Us

Dr. Nicole and Jesse Cozean are the founders of PelvicSanity Physical Therapy (www.pelvicsanity.com) in Southern California. The clinic has helped thousands of patients in the Orange County, CA area and hundreds from around the world with a remote consultation and Out of Town Program.

They co-authored The IC Solution and Nicole created The IC Roadmap online course to provide the most accurate, up-to-date information for those with interstitial cystitis. They run the Finding Pelvic Sanity Facebook group for a supportive online community for anyone dealing with pelvic health issues.

Nicole has also created courses and trained thousands of pelvic PTs to provide better care through her work with Pelvic PT Rising (www.pelvicptrising.com).

• Subscribe to the podcast
• Follow @pelvicsanity for great info!
• Join the Finding PelvicSanity support group
• Check out www.pelvicsanity.com for additional help!

And as always, we hope this has helped you find just a bit of pelvic sanity!