If the answer is yes, you are not alone. According to (Mugie et al. (2011) up to about 30% of children experience constipation. In fact, kids admitted to the emergency room with abdominal pain are most often diagnosed with constipation (Caperell, Pitetti, & Cross, 2013).
Kids who don’t get treatment for their constipation may start falling into muscle holding patterns that persist into adulthood. This means that childhood constipation problems may lead to adult constipation and other pelvic floor issues.
Constant straining with bowel movements will cause the muscles of the pelvic floor to spasm or become weak. If your kiddo’s constipation triggers pelvic floor weakness or spasm, these muscle holding patterns can stay around as they get older, and for some, these issues persist into adulthood.
Read more on the basics of constipation on the Femina Blog.
If you think your child may have constipation, let your pediatrician know or get a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. These doctors can help rule out other serious causes of constipation that may require medical attention.
If the doctors believe that the constipation is functional, meaning it has more to do with habits and muscle control, that is when pelvic floor therapy can help.
The therapists at Fusion Wellness and Physical Therapy/Femina can help your kid get past constipation issues, as well as urinary/fecal accidents.
Our pediatric protocol is minimally invasive and involves a lot of patient and parent education. We typically do not do internal examinations or interventions until all external options have been exhausted.
What types of treatments you can expect with pediatric pelvic floor therapy:
The ultimate goal is to help the child to be able to fully relax the pelvic floor and have a complete bowel movement without strain or pain.
Give the therapists at Fusion Wellness and Physical Therapy a call today!
Caperell, K., Pitetti, R., & Cross, K. P. (2013). Race and acute abdominal pain in a pediatric emergency department. Pediatrics, 131, 1098-1106.
Mugie, S. M., Benninga, M. A., & Di Lorenzo, C. (2011). Epidemiology of constipation in children and adults: A systematic review. Best Practice & Research. Clinical Gastroenterology, 25, 3-18.
Philichi, L. (2018). Management of Childhood Functional Constipation—Continuing Education Posttest. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, Volume 32, Issue 1, January–February 2018, Pages 112-113 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891524517301311
Rajindrajith S, Devanarayana NM, Crispus Perera BJ, Benninga MA. Childhood constipation as an emerging public health problem. World J Gastroenterol. 2016;22(30):6864-75 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974585/
Xinias I, Mavroudi A. Constipation in Childhood. An update on evaluation and management. Hippokratia. 2015;19(1):11-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26435640
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**This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor.
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