Pediatric Pelvic Health

Pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction can often be dismissed for “normal” or “age appropriate” Symptoms such as: urinary urgency, incomplete bowel emptying, constipation, painful bowel movements, daytime leaking, leaking during sports/exercise, or bedwetting can occur because muscles in the pelvis do not work as they should.

Pelvic floor exercises

Together with your therapist you child will perform exercises that either activate, release and strengthen muscles that support bladder and bowel control. Therapy helps your child find how to activate certain muscles when there’s an urge to pee or poop. Recognizing what the urge feels like will facilitate making it to the bathroom on time. If appropriate, I also teach your child how to relax muscles for more complete bladder or bowel emptying.

Exercises may involve moving legs in a specific way, holding certain postures and breathing. These efforts engage the pelvic floor and nearby muscles such as the buttocks or thighs. I may also give your child exercises to do at home. This extra work helps your child form daily habits using the techniques we teach in therapy.

“Smell the Flowers, Blow out Candles”

This is a cue I use for my own children to help them coordinate their breathing pattern to facilitate normal bladder and bowel movements. Simply put, diaphragm breathing is a way of breathing that helps the pelvic floor relax on the inhale and contract on the exhale.

This can be tricky for kids to learn, but I found cueing them to “smell the flowers”makes them inhale through their nose and facilitates diaphragm movement, thus relaxing the pelvic floor.

Conversely, “Blow out candles” facilitates a nice strong exhale, which promotes contracting the pelvic floor which facilitates rectal emptying.

Give it a try yourself!