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How do I Stop My Child From Wetting the Bed at Night? Tips

If you are wondering how do I stop my child from wetting the bed at night and need tips, we’ve got you covered in this article. Additionally, as you read through the tips to help stop wetting the bed, if you are overwhelmed or have no idea how to help the things we talk about, have you considered physical therapy with a pediatric bladder and bowel specialist? We can help you! Read on for specific tips to help stop wetting the bed at night.

We’ve got you covered, parents, in this article with tips to help your child stop wetting the bed at night. When exploring solutions to help your child stop wetting the bed at night, we recommend you consider physical therapy with a pediatric bladder and bowel specialist. Here at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we specialize in helping kids who have bladder or bowel problems, including helping children to stop wetting the bed at night. Read on for some tips to help your child’s bedwetting and reach out to us here to ask us questions about our natural and effective treatments with our licensed physical therapists or call us at (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

Our pediatric bladder and bowel licensed physical therapists help children (ages 4-18+) stop wetting the bed at night by using natural and safe approaches that improve their bladder and bowel control, strengthen their core muscles, retrain their pelvic floor muscles, teach optimal bladder and bowel habits and address constipation.

To stop bedwetting, one tip is that a comprehensive approach that addresses posture, core, daytime bladder habits, eating and drinking habits, breathing, toileting behaviors, sleep routines and bowel habits is needed. Rarely is there one simple thing to implement to resolve bedwetting. There are many things that physical therapy can offer your child to provide a real solution that is safe, natural and optimizes your child’s bladder and bowel control. And one bonus is physical therapy uses the power of your child’s own body and habits to resolve their bedwetting, therefore, there are no harmful side effects like you may experience with pharmaceuticals. We love talking to parents and learning about your needs to help your child’s bedwetting; feel free to contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

Tips for parents who want to help their child stop bedwetting!

Our physical therapy to help kids who bed wet offers you and your child a safe, comprehensive and holistic approach to improve bladder control. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

Why is my child wetting the bed? Parents, monitor your child’s:

  • Tip 1 to help stop wetting the bed at night: Monitor your child’s bowel movements

Look for signs or constipation. Do they have large stools? Do they have stomach aches? Do they have bloating? Are bowel movements painful? Do they avoid defecating? Any constipation needs to be addressed to resolve wetting the bed. Our physical therapist is able to help you and your child improve constipation using physical therapy therapeutic methods that include diet, clean-out protocols, exercise, teaching your child effective toileting routines and strategies, pelvic floor muscle training and more. If your child has constipation, the bladder can be challenged to hold urine at night. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to improve your child’s constipation or bowel movement regularity and to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 2: Sleep habits. Are there any irregularities?

Track your child’s sleep habits and look for trends in their schedule that link to wetting the bed. Monitor their snoring, look for signs of sleep apnea, watch for them being restless in bed. Consider having your child checked for a tongue tie by a qualified dentist, as this can impair breathing and influence bedwetting. Children’s bodies, including bladder control at night, respond well to consistency in routines, including bedtime routines and eating and drinking hours. Research supports that kids who wet the bed often have sleep disturbances.

“Sleep questionnaires showed that children with enuresis had more sleep problems than controls, especially parasomnias, breathing disorders, and daytime sleepiness.”

-Fernandes AER, Roveda JRC, Fernandes CR, Silva DF, de Oliveira Guimarães IC, Lima EM, de Carvalho Mrad FC, de Almeida Vasconcelos MM. Relationship between nocturnal enuresis and sleep in children and adolescents. Pediatr Nephrol. 2022 Nov 24.

  • Tip 3 to help stop wetting the bed at night: Does your child have core weakness?

Some children who wet the bed lack strength and coordination in their core muscles, which has a link to bladder and bowel control challenges. We’ve worked with children who are strong in their limbs, but lack core control. One thing we notice is that kids with core weakness have non-optimal posture, which changes the angle of their pelvis and pelvic floor muscles. Because these muscles are important to bladder and bowel control, lack of core strength and altered posture are key components of our physical therapy for kids who wet the bed. Our physical therapists evaluate every child’s core strength, coordination, posture and breathing and creates a rehabilitation plan of care that will improve this for your child. To inquire about our physical therapy program that includes a full evaluation of your child’s core strength, posture and neuromotor control to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 4: Could pelvic floor muscle dysfunction be contributing to your child’s bedwetting?

Kids can have pelvic floor muscle problems causing them to not empty their bladder or bowel completely during the day. We often find that kids who wet the bed hold in their bowel movements, which can cause tension in the pelvic floor and difficulty emptying the bowels. We also find that kids incorrectly tighten up their pelvic floor muscles when they should be relaxing them to allow for urinating and defecating. Our gentle (external) biofeedback and corrective exercise based approach will help your child learn where their pelvic floor muscles are located and learn how to better control them. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 5: Does your child experience daytime urinary issues, such as urgency, frequency or not urinating often enough?

Research has found that kids who experience urinary incontinence (enuresis) often also have daytime urinary urgency and urinary retention, reflecting that their bladder is struggling with daytime control; these kids tend to have challenges with nighttime bladder control. When working with kids who are wetting the bed, we must address any daytime bladder symptoms. Often these children are experiencing challenges with their bladder during the day. We recommend you pay attention to your child’s daytime bladder habits in terms of how often they urinate, whether they have urgency and frequency, experience any pain or ignore the urge to urinate. Our physical therapists will design an effective treatment program to help your child’s daytime and nighttime bladder control. Parents often have questions about what is involved with this physical therapy, feel free to contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members. One study into bladder control of children 7 years of age found:

“The prevalence of enuresis (involuntary loss of urine) was 10.6%;11.7% in males and 9.3% in females…. The most common urinary symptoms were urinary urgency (22.7%) and urinary retention maneuvers (38.2%). ”

-Denise M. Mota, Aluisio J.D. Barros, Alicia Matijasevich, Iná S. Santos, Prevalence of enuresis and urinary symptoms at age 7 years in the 2004 birth cohort from Pelotas, Brazil, Jornal de Pediatria, Volume 91, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 52-58.

  • Tip 6 to help stop wetting the bed at night: Does your child fully empty their bladder during the day?

Kids who wet the bed often do not fully empty their bladder during the day, therefore, to achieve dry nights we need to improve daytime bladder function. Our patients often lack the ability to fully empty their bladder. We find some young children are rushing and have learned to not sit and relax on the toilet to facilitate complete emptying. In physical therapy, we foster complete emptying of the bladder, so we practice with your child how to let go of the pelvic floor muscles and patiently allow the bladder to fully empty. If you suspect your child may not be emptying their bladder fully during the day, working with our licensed physical therapist can help your child learn effective bladder and bowel control. Contact us here to inquire about cost and availability of our PT or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 7: Is your child’s daily water intake sufficient?

We like to see a consistent intake of water throughout the day to help your child to experience multiple complete bladder filling, holding & emptying stages. At night your bladder needs to be able to fill up and hold urine without emptying. If they have constipation or poor daytime bladder habits, then stopping wetting the bed at night becomes a challenge. Often the children we treat are not drinking enough water throughout the day. Some kids also drink fluids, such as Gatorade, that have additives like artificial colors that bother bladders. Our physical therapists serve as a helpful sounding board and provide guidance to parents and kids to reenforce optimal water intake. Parents often tell us that their child will not drink water; we find that having our PT work with your child to facilitate improved water intake can be a useful means of improving this habit. To inquire about our physical therapy program that includes a full evaluation of your child’s core strength, posture and neuromotor control to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 8: Watch your child’s dietary habits, including chewing, fiber and timing of meals

Because children who wet the bed at night often have constipation, it is important to look at their dietary habits to promote effective, daily bowel movements. To help your child stop wetting the bed, we recommend eating a complete breakfast each day, toileting after breakfast, intake of adequate fiber, drinking enough water and getting sufficient exercise. Chewing food to the consistency of applesauce can ease the process of breaking down food in your intestines. Chewing is a surprising sleeper of a habit to improve to help your child to stop wetting the bed at night. If you would like to work with our licensed PT to learn a comprehensive method of addressing bedwetting, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 9: Does your child hold in bowel movements (withholding) or not perceive the need to defecate? 

Children who hold in their bowel movements or avoid the bathroom are developing constipation. This constipation will bother their bladder and cause it to empty when they sleep and may also contribute to daytime frequency, wetting the bed at night or during the day or a constant sense of needing to pee. If you are aware that your child is not going to the bathroom when they need to, work diligently to stop this problem. Withholding stool is a big contributor to wetting the bed at night. Quite often the child simply does not feel the urge to defecate. Our biofeedback, exercises and methods to help your child tend to the signal to empty their bowels can greatly improve bedwetting. To speak with one of our team members about our physical therapy program that includes a full evaluation of your child’s bowel habits, straining, withholding, pain, core strength, posture and neuromotor control to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 10 to help stop wetting the bed: Empty your bladder fully before going to bed

This may seem obvious that to help your child stop wetting the bed at night, they should empty their bladder before bed. However, it isn’t that easy to monitor as they grow up. When your child who wets the bed is young you can monitor this well by encouraging them to relax and empty their bladder before bed. But, once you have an adolescent or teenager who wets the bed, this is more difficult to monitor. Establishing a routine of emptying the bladder before bed is a helpful measure towards stopping wetting the bed. You would be surprised by how many of our patients do not empty their bladder before going to bed, so please look at your child’s habits. When you work with our PT you and your child will be fully supported to begin to develop better habits that help stop wetting the bed. Contact us here to inquire about cost or availability of our PT or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

  • Tip 11: Getting treatment started when they are younger can alleviate a lot of the stress and shame around bedwetting

There’s no reason to wait, when there is physical therapy to help your child. Most of the time parents tell us that they never heard of this PT for bedwetting. While it is not commonly known about, our licensed PTs have advanced training specific to helping promote appropriate developmental control of the bladder and bowel. And everything we offer is natural and safe, without relying on pharmaceuticals. While most of us adults take bladder and bowel control for granted, it turns out that it is actually a very complicated neuromotor control system and physical therapy can help your child. To work with our physical therapists, we begin care with an evaluation to determine what is going on with your child and how we can best help you and your child. Call us at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here to learn more.

If my child wets the bed, when should I begin treatment?

If you or your child are perceiving bedwetting to be a problem or bothersome, it is a good time to begin treatment. We recommend that any child ages 5 or older who wets the bed, come see our physical therapist for treatment. For children who have developmental challenges or if parents perceive some motor control or coordination challenges, it can be beneficial to begin physical therapy younger than five years old. Our pediatric bladder & bowel licensed physical therapists offer comprehensive, natural treatments that include exercise, developmentally appropriate games that facilitate bladder and bowel control as well as motor coordination, pelvic floor muscle training, biofeedback, instructions for parents, constipation mitigation, dietary recommendations, and more. By beginning treatment at a younger age you can spare your child and household from dealing with wetting the bed. Parents have told us that our treatments for bedwetting, enuresis and encopresis give peace of mind, direction and helpful insights into their child’s pelvic floor control, posture, strength, bowel and bladder habits, chewing, diet and bedwetting. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members. When the parent and child come for a physical therapy evaluation, each child’s care is individualized to their needs and history and we include considerations such as the following:

“The most important comorbid conditions to take into account are psychiatric disorders, constipation, urinary tract infections and snoring or sleep apneas. Constipation and daytime incontinence, if present, should be treated.”

-Nevéus T, Fonseca E, Franco I, Kawauchi A, Kovacevic L, Nieuwhof-Leppink A, Raes A, Tekgül S, Yang SS, Rittig S. Management and treatment of nocturnal enuresis-an updated standardization document from the International Children’s Continence Society. J Pediatr Urol. 2020 Feb;16(1):10-19.

If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

When asking yourself how do I stop my child from wetting the bed at night and looking for tips such as these, we know many parents are also quietly worried about the psychological impact that the shame of bedwetting can cause their child.

Research into the mental health impact of wetting the bed (nocturnal enuresis) has found that is causes distress and low self-esteem for the child. We find that kids who improve their bedwetting come back to their follow up physical therapy appointments with big smiles and proud of their accomplishment. The older kids we have worked with confide it is a huge relief to finally get this problem resolved. Parents tell our physical therapists that they worry about their child’s bedwetting causing them to be ridiculed, if it were known by peers. We have worked with parents for whom the bedwetting has caused problems within the adult relationship, possibly from one parent perceiving they handle all of the laundry and monitoring of the child’s bladder issues, while the other parent is perceived to not be equally participating in resolving this problem. If you or your child are experiencing some of these issues, please understand that you are not alone; wetting the bed is a common problem and our specialist physical therapist can help you and your child gain control over their bladder. For more information about our physical therapy treatment to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

The kids who come to us for physical therapy to help their bedwetting experience a positive and uplifting environment that makes them feel good about themselves.

We use developmentally appropriate games, movements, and fun exercises, for example, that allow your child to develop the needed body control to improve bedwetting. You and your child will work privately with your licensed physical therapist for the entire appointment; we never leave you or your child to work with another patient and we don’t expect you to work with lesser trained staff. Your child’s success is our focus for the entire appointment. We are physical therapists who specialize in adult and children’s bladder, bowel and pelvic conditions. The treatment we use for kids are different than adults, because their needs and developmental stages are quite different than adults. To learn more about our physical therapy treatment to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

The impact of successful treatment for nocturnal enuresis has been analyzed and children who are able to improve bedwetting and gain control over when they empty their bladder showed both improved behavior and personality scores.

These tips give you an idea of things to address when asking yourself how do I stop my child from wetting the bed at night. Initiating treatment sooner for kids who wet the bed has been found to prevent the negative effects on self-esteem and mental health, it also helps favor normal development of the child, including social development and brings relief to the entire household. Current recommendations are to begin treatment sooner, rather than waiting because the psychologic impacts are so detrimental.  If you would like to take the first step to helping your child stop wetting the bed, contact us here to see if we may be able to help or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

Because bedwetting is not openly discussed among friends and family, sometimes the child and parent may feel frustrated when bedwetting continues into the school age years. We know it is difficult to figure out how to help your child stop wetting the bed at night.

Our pediatric bladder and bowel PT has taken years of post-doctoral training to help you and your child. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help stop your child from wetting the bed, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

We hope this information helps you have an idea of how to stop your child from wetting the bed at night and the tips are a helpful place to begin.

We know it can be a lonely road for children and frustrating for parents to figure out tip for how to stop your child from wetting the bed at night. Our pediatric bladder and bowel physical therapists are here to help you. We have worked with children of all ages, including adolescents who want to go to sleep-overs, high schoolers who wet the bed who are anxious about getting a college roommate, and kids under ten years of age who wet the bed. We’ve also worked with young, married men who wet the bed. Because we specialize in pelvic health and bladder and bowel control for adults and children, you can expect specialized care that is designed to help you achieve your goals. Bedwetting can benefit from the natural and safe methods our physical therapists use. We partner with parents to help resolve wetting the bed for kids who struggle with this issue. You can expect private appointments with your doctor of physical therapy and a one-on-one setting, with both parent and child present for all treatment. We teach both the parent and child numerous strategies, techniques, habits, dietary changes and exercises to perform to help stop wetting the bed. If you would like to learn more about our PT to help bedwetting, you can contact us here with your questions or call 616-516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable team members.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy. Specialist in pelvic health, TMJ disorders, neck and back pain. All of our physical therapists specialize in pelvic health, bladder and bowel control.

To inquire about our physical therapy program to stop wetting the bed, including our comprehensive evaluation of your child’s core strength, toileting habits, constipation, posture and neuromotor control to help your child, contact us here to ask us a question or call (616) 516-4334 to talk with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

Because you are wondering how do I stop my child from wetting the bed at night and are looking for tips, you may be interested in these other articles we’ve written:

Why is My Child’s Poop So Big?

Why Does My Ten Year Old Wet The Bed?

Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally

9 Tips That You Need Pelvic Floor Therapy

Why Does My Child Keep Wetting Their Pants?

What Does TMJ Physical Therapy Help?

Physical Therapy for Neck Pain and Headaches

Does Chewing Help Constipation?

References for how to stop your child from wetting the bed at night and tips for parents:

Fernandes AER, Roveda JRC, Fernandes CR, Silva DF, de Oliveira Guimarães IC, Lima EM, de Carvalho Mrad FC, de Almeida Vasconcelos MM. Relationship between nocturnal enuresis and sleep in children and adolescents. Pediatr Nephrol. 2022 Nov 24.

Hodges, S.J. Modified O’Regan Protocol for Overactive Bladder. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep 11, 201–204 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-016-0379-y

Denise M. Mota, Aluisio J.D. Barros, Alicia Matijasevich, Iná S. Santos, Prevalence of enuresis and urinary symptoms at age 7 years in the 2004 birth cohort from Pelotas, Brazil, Jornal de Pediatria, Volume 91, Issue 1, 2015, Pages 52-58.

Nevéus T, Fonseca E, Franco I, Kawauchi A, Kovacevic L, Nieuwhof-Leppink A, Raes A, Tekgül S, Yang SS, Rittig S. Management and treatment of nocturnal enuresis-an updated standardization document from the International Children’s Continence Society. J Pediatr Urol. 2020 Feb;16(1):10-19.

Physical Therapy Can Stop Bedwetting!

Did you know that physical therapy can help your child’s bedwetting?

We are pediatric bladder and bowel physical therapists right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we help bedwetting!

At Purple Mountain Physical Therapy, here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we specialize in pelvic health physical therapy and this includes pediatric bladder and bowel health. We offer both in-person treatment or remote consultations to guide parents and children towards being dry at not.  Our pediatric bladder and bowel program includes a variety of physical therapy methods to help your child gain control of their bladder when sleeping. Everything we do for children is specific to pediatric developmental stages, age appropriate and includes the parent or guardian to help improve household support so you all can achieve the goals you set. Physical Therapy can help stop bedwetting. If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy (either in-person at our PT clinic in Grand Rapids or via remote consult, if you qualify) to help your child’s bedwetting, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgable team members or contact us here and we will be in touch with you!  

What does bladder and bowel physical therapy do for my child?

We help children learn about their bladder and bowel function, we use exercises and other interventions to enhance control.  One helpful component of our treatment is rehabilitative ultrasound imaging.  Using ultrasound, we can show the child and parent their bladder, pelvic floor muscles (and how to control them) and any constipation.   Parents & kids have found this invaluable in learning how to better establish optimal bladder and bowel control.   We guide and support parents and educate both parents & kids on optimal function, routines to stop bedwetting, how to effectively control the pelvic floor and bladder control muscles and more.   If you would like more information about our pediatric bladder & bowel physical therapy to help stop bedwetting, reach out here.

All children who experience bedwetting will receive a physical therapy bladder and bowel evaluation, with the parent included, that fully analyzes bladder and bowel function, both daytime and nighttime.

During this evaluation we will discuss your child’s bladder and bowel habits, sleep routine, daytime routine, diet and physical activity levels. We also evaluate your child’s strength, coordination and core muscles because there are often impairments in these muscles, resulting in bladder or bowel control problems, such as bedwetting. We include a variety of questions regarding your child’s bladder and bowel function, such as:

  • Toilet habits and behaviors
  • Urinary habits, including frequency, urgency and stream.
  • Fluid intake habits, types of fluid & volume
  • Estimated daytime urinary output
  • Estimated bedwetting volume lost.
  • Urinary stream characteristics (does it stop and start, happen easily, split, etc)
  • Your child’s sensation of their urinary urge
  • Sleep quality, movements, habits, bedtime. Arousal during sleep.
  • General nutrition intake, timing of meals, habits of breakfast, lunch and dinner, fiber intake, food preferences.
  • Bowel habits including do you have daily bowel movements, does your child feel empty afterwards, is the volume of the stool reflecting the quantity of food ingested, timing, sensation of urge to defecate, straining, pain, bloating or other.
  • Abdominal distension, abdominal wall weakness, abdominal pain or cramping.
  • What you have tried that didn’t work to facilitate bladder and bowel control.
  • Urinary tract infection history.
  • Developmental milestones for motor and speech.
  • Your child’s reaction to the urge to urinate or defecate.
  • Toileting postures
  • Your child’s physical activities and sports
  • Any pertinent medical history. This could include anything, including: learning disabilities, congenital anorectal malformation, diabetes, spina bifida, down syndrome, autism, any developmental delay, anxiety, ADHD or any other condition.

To ask about cost and availability of our pediatric physical therapy for bedwetting and to speak with one of our knowledgable staff members, reach out to us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.  We offer treatment in-person in Grand Rapids, Michigan or via remote consultation for those who qualify

We have worked with countless children of all ages to provide physical therapy to stop bedwetting.  Our goal is to fully support you and your child and provide trauma informed and developmentally appropriate care. Families tell us that the PT to stop their child’s bedwetting is therapeutic and uplifting.

The evaluation and all treatment occurs between the parent, child and doctor of physical therapy. We include the child into any conversation so they understand the treatment and experience buy-in. If your child is too young or disabled to fully understand, we provide extensive parental support and can use a variety of methods to help your child improve bedwetting.  We have worked with children of all ages, including adolescents and teens who have struggled with bedwetting for years.  We offer a private, discreet and comfortable place to receive physical therapy for bedwetting.

Our knowledgable staff can answer all of your questions that you may have about physical therapy for bedwetting.   To speak with a team member, call 616-516-4334 and you will learn more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting.  You can also contact us here.

We use a variety of methods to improve your child’s bedwetting and overall bladder and bowel function. These include:

  • Biofeedback & Rehabilitative Ultrasound Imaging:  to help your child learn to release and tighten the bladder and bowel control muscles.
  • Core strengthening for any child who has low tone, weak core or lower strength
  • Breathing exercises
  • Sensory training to improve your child’s understanding of what an urge to urinate and defecate feels like. Children often are completely unaware of the need to void.
  • Exercises practicing toileting including breathing, how to open their passageway, how to relax, posture on the toilet (Or standing for boys, if preferred).
  • Fiber and dietary suggestions to promote daily, healthy, soft bowel movements, without straining.  We also will talk about digestion and chewing habits.
  • Partnering with your pediatrician and advising you on protocols to facilitate a bowel clean-out. Often children who have bedwetting have constipation and a bowel clean-out is necessary to allow their bladder to function and hold urine at night.  Parents come to us overwhelmed by the prospect of undertaking a bowel clean out program and we take the guesswork out of this.  You can expect to receive considerable guidance and support about how to implement, modify, determine progress and manage a bowel clean out program.  Many parents find this aspect of our pediatric bedwetting physical therapy program to be something that eases stress and provides considerable progress towards stopping bedwetting.  Because we specialize in pediatric bladder and bowel physical therapy, you and your child will be working with a licensed physical therapist who knows how to guide you and your child towards success.
  • Gentle manual therapy methods to the abdomen or low back to facilitate intestinal motility, awareness of their body and relief of muscular guarding.

Your child’s bedwetting physical therapy will be comprehensive and address daytime and nighttime bladder and bowel issues.

Quite often families come to us and are not aware of any daytime bladder issues and report their child has daily bowel movements. However, upon further inquiry we often find that children do, indeed, have non-optimal bladder and bowel daytime function. If we want to alleviate bedwetting, we must optimize daytime bladder and bowel function. We understand that you may be skeptical that physical therapy can help stop your child’s bedwetting, but our experience is guided in helping families just like yours.

Give us a call at 616-516-4334 if you would like to learn more about how we can help support your child’s bladder and bowel control, or reach out here.

Pediatric bedwetting physical therapy must always address constipation & daytime bladder habits!

A common contributor to bedwetting is constipation. You can imagine that in a small body, that a full rectum can squish the bladder and limit bladder capacity. When this happens, the bladder may empty involuntarily either at night with bedwetting or during the day. Our bedwetting physical therapy program will help identify if this is happening for your child and our therapy improves this.   If you are interested in learning more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgable team members or contact us here and we will be in touch with you!  

PT for Bedwetting includes multiple methods that work together to enhance your child’s control.

You can expect exercises, biofeedback, coaching and external manual therapy methods to improve bladder and bowel awareness. Our treatment includes behavior modifications, dietary recommendations, pelvic floor retraining through exercises and gentle guidance, manual therapy (external only), and exercise to strengthen the core and hip musculature. We will give you at-home methods to improve constipation and daytime toileting habits. We provide gentle, hands-on manual therapy to help promote intestinal mobility. Additionally, we practice with your child effective toileting strategies, which includes not holding in your poop and listening to your body and knowing when to go to the toilet. To learn more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, you can call us at 616-516-4334 and you will speak with a knowledgable staff member or you may contact us here.

In nearly all cases, when constipation and daytime voiding habits are optimized, we can stop bedwetting.

We will advise you and develop a bedwetting treatment plan that includes a variety of interventions that have been shown in clinical studies to be important physical therapy treatment components to stop bedwetting.

Is bedwetting hereditary?

If a parent experienced bedwetting, we do know that you are more likely to have a child who experiencing nocturnal enuresis, also. However, we also have research that supports that constipation has been present in both parent and child. Parents, it is possible that your own bedwetting may have been triggered by constipation you were not even aware was present. Top clinical experts in the field of pediatric bedwetting consistently assert that constipation must be treated and is likely what has been “inherited” and that the bladder is sensitive to the stretched/full rectum. We can help your child eliminate their bedwetting by addressing constipation and all of the items noted above.

If you are interested in learning more about cost and availability for physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with one of our knowledgable team members or contact us here and we will be in touch with you!  

If you, as a parent, wet the bed until 6, 8, 12 years or older, it does not mean that your child will have to do the same! Treating the underlying constipation can cure bedwetting. As pediatric bladder & bowel physical therapists we know that many parents think that their child is not constipated. However, when we partner with you to discover and monitor your child’s bowel movement habits, kids and parents find it enlightening to realize that the bowels are not actually functioning as well as they thought.

Physical therapy to help stop bedwetting is provided in a safe, private treatment space in an uplifting environment that is developmentally appropriate.

We work closely with parents and children to create a safe and trusting partnership, so that you experience results, are supported and well cared for. Our approach with children who have bedwetting or any bladder & bowel control problem, is positive, encouraging and rewarding. To learn more about our pediatric physical therapy for bedwetting, reach out to us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

Pelvic floor muscle training helps your child learn to control these muscles and helps stop bedwetting.

The pelvic floor is responsible for holding pee and poop in and letting it out. Sometimes when children have developed bedwetting, constipation or urinary problems (such as incontinence, frequency, urgency or holding their pee too long), the pelvic floor muscles get confused and need to be retrained. The pelvic floor needs to relax in order to empty the bladder or the bowel, but for some kids this isn’t happening. Then, they go to bed and fully relax and the flood gates open with bedwetting! If the muscles are not functioning well during the day, it will impair the ability to control your bladder when sleeping. To learn more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, contact us here.

Manual therapy to the abdomen or low back can be effective to help stop bedwetting and pediatric bladder & bowel problems!

Sometimes our treatment includes gentle, hands-on treatments that are directed to your child’s spine, abdomen, pelvis or legs. For example, when stool gets backed up in the rectum it is very common that peristalsis (the coordinated contractions of smooth muscle in your large intestine) gets disrupted. Manual therapy to the abdomen, lower back, and hips can help restore optimal digestion and improve posture to reduce constipation and also calm down an overactive bladder. We also use exercise that are fun and developmentally appropriate to promote posture, breathing mechanics, and mobility of abdominal tissue and the hips/pelvis.

We customize the physical therapy treatment program for your child’s bedwetting based on what we find in the evaluation, your child’s developmental level and tolerances or preferences and the parents’ goals.  By taking this wholisitic and comprehensive approach physical therapy can stop bedwetting

Many times parents tell us that they have noticed that their child who wets the bed may not be as coordinated or strong as another child in family. But, other times, the bedwetting child is the most active and athletic kid in the household.  For these reasons, we customize the treatments for each child.

  • Our licensed physical therapist will assess your child’s pelvic floor muscle control, overall strength, posture, toileting postures & techniques, constipation, abdominal wall integrity, awareness of their bladder and bowel and more.
  • We will give you suggestions and a framework for what to work on at home and we work to not overwhelm your household.
  • Each appointment is private with the child, parent and licensed physical therapist.   We progress your physical therapy at each visit, based on progress or setbacks that have been experienced.
  • If your child needs a bowel clean out program, we will oversee this and provide you extensive support.  Parents tell us that this is extraordinarily helpful.

Parents also say that by working with our physical therapist to address their child’s bedwetting, they finally have clarity and less stress around the problems related to bladder control.

Kids come to PT happy and generally love the treatments, which include fun games and exercises designed to raise awareness of and control of the muscles needed to void. We have worked with kids of all ages, including young adults who are graduating high school and would like to cure their bedwetting before having a college roommate.  These kids are not alone and the stigma associated with bedwetting is a difficult part of their youth.  Our PT program for bedwetting helps your child learn the complicated things that are needed for the bladder to hold urine throughout the night.

If this sounds intriguing to you and you have questions about whether we may be able to help your child, call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here and we will be in touch with you so you can talk with one of our knowledgable staff members.

Children with constipation, bedwetting or daytime wetting commonly have weakness in their hips and core musculature.  By addressing these issues, our physical therapy can stop bedwetting

At Purple Mountain Physical therapy we develop individualized exercise programs that address your child’s specific deficits in a fun and engaging way so that their bedwetting can stop and their bladder and bowel control during the daytime can be optimized, as well! To learn more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, contact us here.

Behavior modifications that can help stop bedwetting!

We will work with the parents and child to identify any habits that need to be improved. It is common that toileting behaviors are not ideal, leading to diurnal enuresis (wetting their pants during the day) or bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis). Often we find that children don’t like to use the toilet. We also identify that some kids sit on the toilet too long, hold their breath and strain. We are specialists at identifying and coaching your child to gain control of their bowel and bladder so bedwetting can stop, constipation resolves and urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence can also resolve.

If you are serious about getting support for your child so they can stop bedwetting, we are here to help you!

Bedwetting is common, but not normal and has known psychological stress on your child and your household. Bedwetting is often driven by constipation and improper daytime habits for the bladder. As pediatric pelvic physical therapists, we know how to effectively and positively help your child to learn how to use their bladder and bowel optimally. We also know how to teach a parent to support your child. This isn’t easy to overcome, but our specialized care brings clarity to a puzzling situation.  Our licensed physical therapists specialize in pediatric bladder and bowel disorders.  We love this work and have helped countless kids learn to control their bladder and bowel.  We enjoy getting to know the children and their parents and seeing your child’s confidence and self esteem improve.  We understand that bedwetting can be a stressful problem for the entire household and parents have told us that this physical therapy has been the best thing they have done for their child.

If you would like to talk to one of our team members about our pediatric bladder and bowel physical therapy for bedwetting, we are here to answer your questions.  Call us at 616-516-4334 or contact us here and we will be in touch with you.  We consider it an honor to work with you and your child and from the first phone call parents tell us that they finally feel relief at finding support and a path forward for their child.

Purple Mountain Physical Therapy is a specialty bladder and bowel control clinic located in Grand Rapids, MI. We offer specialized physical therapy to help children overcome toileting challenges and bedwetting. We also work with women and men who have pelvic floor dysfunction and bladder, bowel or pain related problems. We have advanced training and experience helping kids improve their bladder & bowel control using a combination of exercises, external treatments, biofeedback, bowel clean out programs, dietary recommendations and play based therapy. We partner with parents to help you know how to best help your child. Our doctors of physical therapy promise to give you our best! To learn more about our physical therapy to help your child’s bedwetting, call 616-516-4334 or contact us here.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT founder of Purple Mountain Physical Therapy and pelvic health physical therapist specialist.  We are a PT clinic devoted to adults & children’s bladder and bowel challenges, including specialized physical therapy that can stop bedwetting and teach your child how to control their bladder and bowel.  We also provide specialized treatment for adult pelvic health, pregancy & postpartum recovery, chronic TMJ pain and neck and back pain.

You may be interested in these other articles we have written:

Why is My Child’s Poop So Big?

Why Does My Ten Year Old Wet The Bed?

How Much Bedwetting is Normal?

Why is My Child Bloated?

When Can I Start Potty Training?

Pelvic Floor PT in Grand Rapids!

You Have Found The Best Pelvic Floor PTs in Grand Rapids!

Here at Purple Mountain Physical Therapy we offer advanced and expert pelvic floor PT in Grand Rapids for women, men and children. We understand that when you have a pelvic problem you don’t know where to go to receive your care and you want to make certain that you are getting the best results. Our doctors of physical therapy are uniquely qualified and offer you many years experience and advanced post-doctoral education specific to the challenging needs of pelvic health. To connect, connect us here, or call us at (616) 516-4334.

Pelvic Floor PT Explained!

Some patients tell us “I was skeptical this could help my urinary urgency and frequency, but now I’m a believer because it is so much better.”

We know that pelvic floor PT can be a bit of a mystery. Most of our patients tell us that they had no idea what pelvic PT would do for them. Pelvic floor PT is a specialty field within physical therapy that focuses upon treating bladder, bowel, pain and intimacy related problems for women, men and children. Our pelvic floor PT clinic in Grand Rapids is a place for you to be evaluated and treated with expertise and compassion in a trauma-informed setting that truly elevates the standard of care you should expect to receive from all of your providers. Our Doctors of Physical Therapy are licensed and also have completed extensive post-doctoral training specific to the field of pelvic health, spine and TMJ disorder physical therapy.  It makes a difference when you work with an experienced specialist.  If you are interested in learning more about working with our PTs here at Purple Mountain PT, reach out to us here or call us at (616) 516-4334.

What to Expect at Your First Appointment

It all begins with the first phone call!

First, you will know from your first phone call that you are receiving care from people who truly care about you and who strive to provide you with excellence. Our care is always welcoming, holistic, compassionate and trauma-informed.

Your Pelvic Floor Evaluation Appointment is Holistic and our Whole Body Framework ensures you receive comprehensive insights into the multiple contributions to your condition.

Your first appointment will be an evaluation, where we will go into depth with talking about your pelvic concerns. Some people come to us with focused and specific concerns, such as chronic lower abdominal pain that worsens with a full bladder. Other people come with more general pelvic concerns; for example, they had a child ten years ago and since then they have had some mild, annoying urinary incontinence and intimacy has not been quite the same. Men often present with severe pain that has been frustrating and ongoing. It is common that men have chronic prostatitis pain and/or nerve related problems of the pelvic floor. We are experts in nerve pain, including pain that radiates into the genitalia, perineum, anus and sit bones, as well as sciatic pain and other nerves. Rest assured, we will evaluate and treat every patient for the specifics related to numerous nerve conditions. Contact us for more information or call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with a knowledgable team member.

Your Pelvic PT Treatment Begins Day 1!   This first visit, it is our goal to begin the process of healing!

During this evaluation we begin treatment right away. This includes advising you on how to optimize bladder, bowel and intimacy function. If your child is our patient, we include the child and parent into all evaluation and treatment methods and all care is age-appropriate and focused upon optimizing the child’s bladder and bowel function. Our examination may include an in-depth assessment of your posture, hip mobility, low back function, thoracic spine and diaphragm. We examine and treat your abdominal wall strength and diastasis recti abdominus. Every adult patient receives a comprehensive myofascial assessment of all tissues from your shoulders to your knees (we check your neck and feet, if warranted, also). It is common that we find trigger points and areas of decreased blood flow in the tissues we evaluate and treat. As we discover items that are contributing to your symptoms, we educate you about our findings, commence treatment and help you understand what you can do to help yourself at home. Call us at (616) 516-4334 to speak with our knowledgeable staff to your questions answered and see about how we can help you!

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Broadly speaking, pelvic floor dysfunction refers to the muscles at the base of your pelvis not working quite right. In many cases these muscles have stiffness, tightness and trigger points. In some cases, the muscles are weak. Other times the muscles have adequate strength, but their timing and coordination with other muscles is impaired, leading to urinary or gas leakage or pelvic organ prolapse symptoms. When these muscles are not working properly, because they work in concert with your abdominal wall and low back, they often contribute to pain in the abdomen, hips or back. Some people with pelvic floor dysfunction have considerable pelvic pain. These muscles also provide you control of your bladder and bowel, so if they are dysfunctional you may experience urinary leakage or frequency and urgency. The pelvic floor muscles have both superficial and deep layers; for some of the women and men we treat their primary problem is in the superficial layers. We check all of the layers of your pelvic floor muscles so that you can receive the right treatment to effectively recover your problem. To read more about the benefits of physical therapy, check out this blog we wrote or contact us here!

What does Pelvic Floor PT Involve?

Our treatment is holistic. This means that we evaluate and treat the numerous things that contribute to your pain, so that you experience excellent results. Our treatment is not cookie-cutter. You get specific care related to your body’s needs. Our care is often hands-on manual therapy that includes myofascial release, trigger point release, and nerve release. We also focus quite a bit on improving blood flow to your tissues because blood flow is the source of life & nutrition for your body, especially your nerves. We also offer treatment that is exercise based and focused upon recovering the coordination and firing of your pelvic floor muscles with your abdominals, low back, hips and knees/feet. For some people’s needs, we include balance training, jumping exercises and dynamic exercises that challenge the pelvic floor muscles so that they begin to fire more appropriately. We will assess and treat your abdominal wall so if you have a diastasis recti abdominus, we will provide very targeted exercises and myofascial work to facilitate recovery of your abdominal wall. Connect with us here to get started.

Why Should I Choose to Come To Purple Mountain Physical Therapy?

Our goal is to provide you excellence in care so that you experience meaningful results. Each appointment is with the same physical therapist, is private and lasts upto 55 minutes. We never bounce you around to a lesser trained person or someone you don’t know. Because we have extensive post-doctoral training and experience treating very challenging pelvic conditions, you can expect an expertise that is difficult to find. You will find that our physical therapists provide trauma informed care in a compassionate setting that is focused upon clinical excellence. We are here to provide you world class pelvic health PT care in Grand Rapids.

Meet Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT Pelvic Health, Spine and TM Joint Disorder Physical Therapist.  Founder of Purple Mountain PT.   Wife, Mother.

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT is a pelvic health, spine & TM joint physical therapist specialist, serving the West Michigan region. Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT practiced for 20 years in Chicago working with some of the top surgeons and physicians in the country at Northwestern Medicine Chicago, Loyola University Health Centers and Rush University Medical Center. She had patients travel to her from all over the country and world, seeking relief from their pelvic pain and bladder conditions.

Dr. Maureen founded Purple Mountain PT to provide specialized, one-on-one treatment to her patients by giving them the time needed (upto 55 minutes each appointment) and a whole-body framework to properly and holistically treat you.

Dr. Maureen provides pelvic, spine and TMJ treatments to women, men & children who are wanting to improve their condition by accelerating results from working with an experienced specialist.  Dr. Maureen is the leader at Purple Mountain PT and the reason behind our whole body framework that informs all of the treatments you receive.   All of our physical therapists are trained directly by Dr. Maureen, to ensure you receive the specialized excellence that Purple Mountain PT is known for.  Dr. Maureen combines manual therapies with therapeutic exercise, patient education, rehabilitative ultrasound imaging, balance training, deep core retraining and neural calming.   She loves to educate you on what you should be doing and how to help yourself.  If you would like to work with Dr. Maureen, give us a call at (616) 516-4334 or contact us here.  

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT is proud to be a member of numerous professional societies that are leading organizations in the field of pelvic health and pelvic research.

These include the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health and the Intl Society for Sexual Medicine, The North American Menopause Society and the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT has even taught physicians, surgeons and other pelvic health physical therapists techniques for evaluating and treating complex pelvic health conditions.   Her more than 25 years’ experience are a culmination of broad post-graduate pelvic health, sexual health and menopause related advanced education including treating chronic pain, pregnancy & postpartum recovery, diastasis recti abdominis healing, male pelvic & bladder conditions and pediatric bladder & bowel development.   Her experience treating individuals with chronic TM joint disorders, cerivcogenic headaches and neck pain provides relief from headaches, neck and jaw pain and difficulty with chewing and yawning. She enjoys working with individuals with challenging TM joint disorders or complex pelvic problems, including painful intercourse, pelvic floor dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain. She has a special heart for women in the pregnant or postpartum recovery stages, as she loves those special times and understands the difficulty it can cause to a women’s body. She herself had a traumatic birth injury and had to recover her body through extensive rehabilitation. She creates a healing environment, in partnership with the patient, to optimize results and address all contributing factors in the pelvic condition. Dr. O’Keefe is committed to providing top level care to her patients and is actively engaged in ongoing advanced education to keep up with the latest research and methods.

How Do I Get Started with Pelvic Floor PT? I Have Some More Questions.

The first step is to call our office at (616) 516-4334 to schedule an evaluation. We like to understand what your needs are, so we can know that we can meet your needs. We love this work and consider it a privilege and honor to help people in such a meaningful way! We look forward to meeting you and helping you to feel like yourself again.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT and the Purple Mountain PT Team.

Other articles that may be of interest:

Tips to Fix Incontinence Naturally

Tailbone pain and How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help You! Plus Some Self-Care Tips!

Exercise in Pregnancy: A Physical Therapists Perspective

Physical Therapy for Male Incontinence in Grand Rapids

How Much Bedwetting is Normal?

How Can I Help My TMJ Pain?

Pediatric Bladder Physical Therapist Near Grand Rapids, Michigan

You Have Found The Top Pediatric Bladder Physical Therapist in Grand Rapids, Michigan!

Pediatric bladder physical therapy is a specialty within the field of PT that helps kiddos learn how to control their bladder & bowels.

Many parents ask us what is pediatric bladder physical therapy? Well, most moms have some awareness of pelvic floor dysfunction that can occur following pregnancy. All people have these same pelvic floor muscles and some kids have trouble developing the proper mechanics of bladder and bowel control. Pediatric bladder physical therapy is an effective treatment that helps kids learn how to control their bladder. In contrast to adult-based treatment that often involves internal work to the pelvic floor, with children all treatment is external. We commonly use biofeedback, exercises, body awareness training, practicing of toileting postures and techniques and play based education for your child and you to help recover control. We also may have you and your child keep a bladder and bowel log so we and you can better track progress and habits. The goal of bladder training is for your child to become aware of their bladder, to learn how to control their pelvic floor muscles and to be cognizant of their body’s urges to urinate. When these things are accomplished, your child will demonstrate improved mastery of their bladder. We use age-appropriate games, exercises, hands-on methods and education to teach your child how the bladder and bowel function and malfunction. We also encourage regular timed voiding and predictable habits so your child’s body and brain can learn to control their bladder. Our pediatric bladder physical therapist here in Grand Rapids, Michigan can help you and your child gain confidence and capacity to resolve incontinence. Get in touch with us here to learn more about how we can help you!

My Child Has Occasional Bladder Leakage. How Do I Know if It is a Problem?

Our founder, Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT, has helped counsel many families and friends with regard to this very question. We find it is helpful to point you in the direction of the diagnostic criteria for pediatric incontinence. After all, it takes kids some time to learn bladder and bowel control, so it may be normal upto a point.

In general, the cutoff age for being dry with your bladder, as defined by The International Children’s Continence Society (ICCS) is 5 years old.

  • The ICCS classifies childhood incontinence as either
  • Intermittent (the more common form) or
  • Continuous (often their is an anatomic or neurologic contributing factors with continuous loss of urine).

A 5 year old child who is still experiencing urinary incontinence from time to time would fall under the diagnostic category of Intermittent incontinence, as defined by the International Children’s Continence Society.

  • There are further classification of a child having either
  • Night time (enuresis) incontinence or
  • Daytime wetting.

Finally, kids are assessed for having:

  • Primary incontinence (meaning they have never been able to control urine at all times) or
  • Secondary incontinence (meaning incontinence occurs after at least a 6 month period of dryness).

Purple Mountain Physical Therapy offers full-spectrum pelvic health physical therapy services for adults and children. Our pediatric bladder physical therapists treat patients at our clinic in Grand Rapids, Michigan or via remote consultation, for those who qualify

When working with our specialist bladder and bowel pediatric PT, you can expect all treatment to be developmentally appropriate, uplifting, comprehensive and supportive of the child and the parents’ needs.  Our pediatric bladder physical therapist, right here in Grand Rapids, will meet you and your child and immediately create a welcoming and uplifting environment for you to begin your treatment. Call us at (616) 516-4334 or click here to contact us and learn more about our treatment programs!

What Does A Typical Pediatric Bladder Physical Therapy in Grand Rapids Include?

We start with an evaluation of your child and your child’s development. Parents and your child will be asked about their food preferences, exercise and activity levels, and bladder and bowel habits. We will also learn about your child’s development and any challenges your child may be experiencing in a school or preschool setting, such as speech, motor or social challenges.  Our PT works to gain your child’s trust and buy-in and understands your child may be shy and not able to verbalize or readily talk at the first visit.   Our approach includes parents in all treatment, is age-appropriate, compassionate and fun.

Parents tell her that their child’s confidence improves and social anxiety eases when the bladder and bowel functions have been mastered.  One child came to PT today jumping up and down with excitement to tell his PT that he had experienced two bowel movements today!   He said “I am so proud of myself!”   This is our greatest satisfaction, as physical therapists devoted to helping kids overcome their bladder & bowel issues.

We know that childhood incontinence is common. In fact, a study in the UK found that 15.5% of kids who are 7 1/2 years old have nighttime bedwetting (enuresis). As kids got older, these rates decreased but you may be surprised to learn that in adults the rates remained 0.5%-1%. Daytime bladder leakage was found to be 15% of 4 1/2 year olds and 5% in 9 1/2 year old kids. If your child is struggling with any of this, get in touch with us here!

Does Your Child also have Behavioral or Emotional Problems? Our Pediatric Bladder Physical Therapist Understands that Your Family Needs Support

While some kiddos may outgrow this problem on their own, not everyone does, so you shouldn’t delay getting expert care. Children who have bladder control disorders also have been found to have emotional or behavioral disorders at a higher rate than those kids who do not have bladder control problems. 20-30% of kids with nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) and 20-40% with daytime urinary leakage have emotional or behavioral disorders. The rates of emotional and behavioral disorders go higher if your child has fecal incontinence, with 30-50% of kids with fecal incontinence meeting the criteria for psychiatric disorders. Parents we know you love your kids and you want them to be able to have fun, without anxiety, without emotional outbursts, without struggling with their bladder and bowel control. We also know that you parents need support. Our expert pediatric bladder physical therapist is here for you, too. We support you and your child so that the worry and stress of bladder and bowel control is not solely on your shoulders. If your child experiences bladder leakage and social anxiety, fear of going to a friend’s home and difficulty with going to school, we have found and parents have noted that these social anxiety symptoms improve as bladder and bowel mastery is achieved. Our pediatric bladder physical therapist understands the psychological stresses that often accompany bladder control problems and you can rest assured that you and your child will receive compassionate, positive and uplifting care that renders your child feeling empowered and more confident. Call us at 616-516-4334 to speak with our knowledgeable staff or contact us here for more information!

Constipation Must Be Addressed and Treated First and Throughout Incontinence Therapy

We find that many of our pediatric patients come to us with a longtime history of chronic constipation. Quite often the kids just haven’t “tuned into” their body’s signals that tell them they should defecate or they may have dyssynergic defecation, a problem with coordinating their pelvic floor muscles properly to allow for defecation. Even if your child’s primary problem is bladder related, you can expect we will first be addressing their bowel regularity. Our experience and research has shown us that we must get the bowels regular if we want to optimize kids’ bladder control.

Our pediatric bladder & bowel PTs use  a combination of play based exercises and gentle, external hands-on treatments to help your child improve their bladder and bowel control. We use rehabilitative ultrasound imaging biofeedback so that your child can learn how to better coordinate and listen to their body’s muscles. This is a unique offering at our clinic, no one else is using ultrasound because it is costly to invest in this technology and difficult to master.  But, we specialize in treating kids & adults, so we have invested in what we know will help you best.   Parents are included in all treatments so that you learn how to best support your child.

We are so fortunate to be able to provide pediatric bladder physical therapy right here in Grand Rapids. Parents have told us that they have searched for a highly qualified pelvic physical therapist for their child, but couldn’t find anyone for whom this is their specialty. With Purple Mountain PT, rest assured, you have found a pediatric bladder physical therapist who is laser focused on pelvic health care. Our doctors of physical therapy have advanced training in bladder developmental stages, optimal bowel function, dyssynergic defecation, chronic constipation, pelvic floor dysfunction, bedwetting and urinary urgency and frequency. We know how to help your child learn to control their bladder and their bowels. We begin pediatric bladder physical therapy in Grand Rapids at our Purple Mountain PT clinic, located in Cascade near the I-96 and Cascade Rd exit. Our private and bright, sunny treatment rooms provide a welcoming and easy to find place for your child to receive care. The first step is to schedule an evaluation with our pediatric bladder physical therapist.   You can call us here to get started.

Peace,

Dr. Maureen O’Keefe, DPT specialist in bladder & bowel physical therapy for over 25 years.

You may be interested in these articles about our pelvic health physical therapy, including pediatric bladder & bowel PT and one article highlighting our pregnancy & postpartum care:

Why is My Child’s Poop So Big?

How Much Bedwetting is Normal?

Does Physical Therapy Help Constipation?

What your pelvic floor PT wants you to know about pregnancy & postpartum care