Chilren’s Pelvic Health

 

As a Mum I completely understand how tough toilet training is. Every kid is so different, even within the same family. Wee and Poo accidents are a normal part of the process and 100% to be expected. 

But what happens when the leaks go on and on? 

My eldest has had issues with constipation since he was 2.5 years old. Toilet training was fantastic - he had control during the day of wee’s and poo’s…then his sister came along. My happy, mischievous and funny wee chum was now grumpy, angry and not himself. After 3 months of wondering what was wrong, I finally worked out what was going on…he was constipated. Once we got on top of this, he was back to his usual self. It’s a constant battle keeping on top of it and I wanted to know what else I could do to help him…and here began my Paediatric Pelvic Health and Kids Yoga Journey. 

What does a paediatric or Children’s Pelvic Health Physio do?

I can help children of all ages who suffer from:

  • Constipation

  • Wee accidents

  • Poo accidents

  • Bed Wetting

With the most common condition being Constipation

Between 10% and 20% of children are constipated, and the peak incidence is between 2 and 4 years old when potty training starts. 95% of all constipation is functional - meaning it’s not because of a genetic disorder, illness or disease. This means we can do something about it!

There are heaps of reasons why kids become constipated - and many parents don’t even think their kids are. Some symptoms of constipation include:

  • Poos that look like hard pebbles or rabbit poop

  • Very wide poos that can sometime block the toilet

  • Loose watery poo

  • Poo accidents

  • Skid marks in undies

  • Itchy bum

  • Pushing really hard when on the toilet

  • Using heaps of toilet room to wipe and wipe to get clean

  • Not pooing enough

  • Lots of little poos throughout the day

  • Bedwetting and accidents

  • Difficulty with toilet training and “getting it”

  • Recurrent urinary tract infections

  • Doing lots of wees close together

  • Dark circles under their eyes (yup - this was a BIG surprise for me)

  • Changes in behaviour

Bed wetting, and/or wee accidents when a child is toilet trained, especially in older children, can be so embarrassing and give them a lot of shame. And it is not their fault. Often they don’t even realise the leaks are happening. It’s not the childs or parents fault at all. 

And this is where Detective Lesley comes in…

During a physio assessment, I ask heaps of questions to really find out what is going on with the child. I will look at their diet, water intake, posture and give you heaps of educations on what is really going on. And check if they are constipated as this is honestly the cause of sooooooooooo many issues with kids! I have a fancy Real Time Ultrasound machine I can use to assess their breathing, pelvic floor, core muscles and even check if there rectum is full off poo - all from assessing the tummy with the ultrasound.

The treatment will involve:

Measurement of rectal diameter to check for constipation

  • Firstly emptying the stuck poo - it’s gotta go (I work closely with your GP to get the correct laxative/stool softener dose that the child will need to be on for quite a bit of time)

  • Keep their poo soft soft soft until their bodies have a chance to recover from the constipation.

  • Looking at water intake, fibre, movement and exercise, tummy massage, core and pelvic floor retraining, toileting technique.

And this is where my Kids Yoga comes in. We know breathing and core strength are needed to do a good poop, to keep your digestive system happy and help children heal both their body and mind from the feelings that come along from pelvic health issues.

I am now 3 years into managing my son’s constipation. We have awesome weeks and then days when we are back to square one. Physiotherapy is not an instant quick fix - but it will provide you with the tools, education, tips and tricks to help you manage your child’s toileting issues…and help keep you sane. Especially when you child is neurodivergent such as ADHD and Autism - this brings along a whole new set of challenges when it comes to overcoming toileting issues - something I also have personal experience with. Both my son and I have ADHD - I really get how hard it is parenting ADHD kids, while understanding exactly how your child feels and thinks.

If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch.