Our Bladder & Bowel Health Services
Our specialist physiotherapists can assess and treat children who suffer from a number of different bladder and bowel problems.
These symptoms can significantly impact a child’s day to day life and confidence, but the good news is there is help. Our physiotherapists work closely with GPs, paediatricians & child psychologists to ensure each child receives the best care and support for a long as they need.
Bladder Health
Our services help children experiencing the following conditions:
Urinary incontinence - including giggle incontinence. This involves the leakage of urine at times when not planned, either related to needing to pass urine or during activity.
Overactive bladder symptoms - including urgency & frequency of needing to pass urine, with or without associated urinary incontinence.
Night time accidents (bedwetting) - which are occurring on an ongoing basis past the age of 6 or 7.
Potty (toilet) training difficulties - we believe all children are different and therefore will potty/toilet train in their own way. However, for various reasons some children struggle with this more than others, and we are here to support you and your child.
Through a supportive and child-centered approach, our physiotherapists develop individualized treatment plans.
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Education & lifestyle advice
Bladder training
Toileting advice
Relaxation techniques
Pelvic floor muscle training
Pelvic floor muscle biofeedback
Muscle feedback using ultrasound
Bowel Health
Our service supports children experiencing:
Constipation - which impacts 1 in 3 children. Constipation can present as infrequent or difficult bowel movements, with hard or dry stools which can also be painful to pass as well.
Chronic constipation and impaction - is where a child has struggled to open their bowels over a longer period of time and the rectum has become stretched. There is a build up of hard stool in the rectum that needs to be cleared first to help improve symptoms and bowel function.
Faecal leakage or soiling - where a child passes stool involuntarily or without realising it which can lead to embarrassment. This can be connected to constipation, and therefore thorough history and assessment is essential for the correct management.
Incomplete emptying - sometimes the rectum may not empty fully, either because the sensation is altered or the muscles around the back passage aren’t coordinating properly.
Potty (toilet) training difficulties - We believe all children are different and therefore will potty/toilet train in their own way. However, for various reasons some children struggle with this more than others, and we are here to support you and your child.
Using a gentle, child-friendly approach, our physiotherapists work closely with children and their families to help improve symptoms
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Education & lifestyle advice
Pelvic floor muscle biofeedback
Toileting advice
Relaxation techniques
Muscle feedback using ultrasound
Medication advice
Transanal irrigation
What our assessment involves
The consultation will always start with a conversation with the child and parent about any symptoms, concerns and questions. The clinician will then ask you some questions to make sure she understands the full picture.
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A physical check will then follow and this will vary depending on what the symptoms or concerns are, age of the child, but may include:
Abdominal assessment: looking at the tummy muscles and movement of the abdominal wall.
Pelvic floor muscle assessment: this will be shaped by symptoms and what will help the clinician to gain as much information to shape the treatment plan. It will focus on external observation, use of ultrasound to observe muscle movement and function, and may include the use of surface EMG.
Movement assessment: it may be helpful to look at general movements to understand more about the muscle function around the pelvis.
As part of ongoing assessment we may recommend filling out a bladder or bowel diary to help us understand more.
The priority is that your child feels comfortable so we will discuss and make sure they are happy prior to any examination. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us before the session.
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Once we have identified the cause of your child’s symptoms we will go through our findings and explain what treatment options there are to help. We work closely with paediatric gastroenterologists, urologists, paediatricians and child psychologists to ensure that all of a child’s needs are met.
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We will start your child on a treatment plan that is individualised to their presentation and goals. This may include pelvic floor exercises, education, biofeedback therapy, relaxation techniques and bladder and bowel retraining.
Contact Us
To begin your journey with us please provide some information and we will be in touch shortly