Get The Right Size Splint You will need to take two measurements to get your correct size for both the regular and short torso splint. To determine if you need a short torso splint, see #3 below. 1. Measure your back, from one side to the other side (where the side seam of a tight fitting garment would be) at the level below your breast. The pad size of the splint is the most important measurement. You do not want the pad of the splint to be too big. If it rests on the front of your belly it does not allow much room to pull the muscles together. You also do not want the pad to be too small or you will have trouble attaching the arms of the splint. The pad should be resting on your sides in the location where the side seam of a garment would be. 2. Measure the circumference of your body over your belly button. Measure in the evening when your belly is the largest. Your muscles should be relaxed when you measure. Waist size does not determine belly size. 3. Measure the distance between the bottom of your sternum to your belly button. If it is 5 inches or less than a short torso splint would be good for you. A short torso splint is also good for children. If the measurement is 7 to 9 inches then a regular torso and short torso on the bottom will give you the overage you need. It the measurement is 10 inches and up then two regular torso splints will give you the coverage you need. Besides giving your more coverage so you donn't have your belly coming out of the bottom, wearing two splints also helps keep the splint in place better. Click here to see the instructions for wearing two splints. If you do not have a measuring tape, measure with a piece of string and then measure the string with a ruler. Please look at the chart below. It gives your back size and circumference size. If your circumference size is larger than the range on the chart, then the arms of the splint need to be longer. You can make them longer by stretching them or adding a longer piece of hook velcro to the hook velcro that is presently there. If they are still not long enough you can get our extenders as a last resort. The extenders velcro on to the ends of each of the three arms to make them longer. These extenders are ideal during pregnancy so you can wear your same splint during the second and third trimester. After a couple of weeks of doing the exercises your belly will become smaller and the elastic arms of your splint may become longer. Just put a hem in the arms to make them smaller. Splint Content DescriptionOuter Pad - 80% Nylon, 20% SpandexInner Pad - 50% Polyurethane, 50% NylonElastic Arms - 60% Dacron 40% Rubber ThreadVelcro Hook - 100% Nylon Splint Care: Hand Wash & Air Dry Only The purpose of the splint is to “re-position" both the connective tissue and the separated muscles in a better position to make your diastasis recti smaller. The connective tissue needs to be in a narrow position to heal and the muscles need to be close together so they move in the right direction. Front to back instead of sideways. Our splint will not weaken your abdominal muscles. The purpose of other abdominal binders is "compression" or bringing your abdominals back towards your spine. That is the job of your innermost transverse abdominal muscle. Once you strengthen your transverse muscle with the Tupler Technique® exercises your transverse muscle can be your compression binder! Wearing a Diastasis Rehab Splint® is just ONE of the 4 steps of the Tupler Technique® Program. You must do the other 3 steps taught in the Diastasis Rehab video to close your diastasis. If you are just wearing the splint and not doing the exercises you will not close your diastasis. You need to wear the splint until the connective tissue is strong enough to hold the muscles together. How to put the Diastasis Rehab® splint on: 1. Put the pad on your back and make sure it is even on each side. The label should be on the inside of the bottom left hand side. Hold the arm on the label side with your left hand and the top arm on the other side with your right hand. The top of the splint should be right on top of the bottom of your ribs. 2. Now you want to cross the arms to the other side and switch hands. Make sure when crossing the arms that the top arm stays on top. So now the left hand is holding the top arm and the right hand is holding the arm from the other side. 3. With knees slightly bent and holding transverse in at 5th floor, gather in your hand the top arm that you are holding with your left. Keep that hand on your belly. Now move the muscle on the right side of your body towards the middle of your body. Hold it in that position with the heel of your other hand. Now straighten this arm that you are holding with your left hand and attach the end of the arm on the top on the left-hand side of the splint. Look in a mirror so you can see where you are attaching it. Do not attach it too high or it will be on off the splint and may irritate your skin or hook on your clothing. Do not attach it too low or it will interfere with the arm on that side. 4. Pull the arm on the label side down away from the top arm. Gather this arm in your right hand. With transverse in at 5th floor, take the heel of your left hand and move the muscle on the left side to the middle. Straighten the arm and with your left hand attach it on top right side of the splint. 5. Pull down the bottom arm on the right-hand side away from the upper arm. Gather this arm in your left hand. With your transverse at 5th floor, move the muscle on the right side of your body to the middle. Straighten the arm and attach on the bottom of the left-hand side of the splint. 6. When you are approximating (or cinching together) the muscles a side effect is that it may bulge out the bottom. In week 4 of the program when you double splint you will be able to focus on this area of the belly. Please wear the splint ALL the time. Even when you sleep. Take it off to bathe for 15 minutes. Make sure you clean and dry your belly button before putting your splint back on. If you broke your leg you would have to wear the cast all the time to continuously keep the two separated ends of the bone together so they heal. It is the same with connective tissue. You must continuously keep it in the same narrow position so it heals. You will know it has healed when it is shallow and you can't feel the muscles grabbing your fingers when you check it. Your splint will stay in place better if you wear it over a fitted undergarment and keep your back flat when getting up and down from a seated to standing position or when bending over. Arching or rounding your back will make it move out of place. Please stand in front of a mirror when putting on your splint so you put it on correctly. Attaching and detaching the splint too many times can decrease the effectiveness of the splint.The hook part of the velcro takes away the filaments on the loop part of the velcro. So adjust it instead of pulling the hook off the loop. Turn to the side when you are attaching the arms of your splint so you can see where you are attaching them. They need to be attached to the pad. If it is not on the pad it will scatch your skin. If you attach the arms too low it will affect the arm underneath it. The arms need to attach on the side of your splint. If they are attaching in the back, they are too long and you need to shorten them. You can do this by taking off the hook velcro at the end of the elastic arm, cutting the elastic and then sewing the hook velcro back on.
