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When Do I Seek Help From A Child Continence Physiotherapist?

03 March 2020•2 min read

Kids learn to control their bowel and bladder at varying speeds. We should encourage kids to learn at their own pace so that they develop healthy habits from a young age. However, as a guide, we would expect that school aged kids are no longer experiencing day-time wetting. Bedwetting can take a little more time to control, it is normal for kids up to the age of 7 to wet the bed.

If your child is over 5 and wetting themselves during the day or they are over 7 and wetting themselves during the night, it is time to see one of our physiotherapist or Julienne, at our Children’s Continence Clinic. Our highly experienced physiotherapists have advanced post graduate training in this area.

Other reasons to visit us include:
Regular constipation
Soiling of nappy or underwear
Urinating more than every 2-4 hours
Pain with urinating or opening bowels.
There are many reasons why your child may be wetting themselves during the day, such as:
Constipation
Poor fluid volumes or poor fluid intake with highly caffeinated drinks
Holding on behaviours with delayed voiding
Frequent voiding with urinary urgency.
Reasons your child may be experiencing bed-wetting include:
Daytime wetting
Poor arousal from sleep
Increased urine production overnight
Reduced bladder capacity.
Will my child just grow out of these issues?
Some children do grow out of wetting themselves, however, if they are still experiencing daytime wetting after the age of 5 or night time wetting after the age of 7, this becomes unlikely.
The other issues, such as regular constipation or pain on use of bladder or bowels are not normal at any age and should be addressed.
These issues can be addressed at our clinic in a sensitive and collaborative manner. Our physiotherapists will work with your child and family as well as your other healthcare providers such as your GP or paediatrician. If required, we are also happy to liaise with your child’s kindergarten or school.

During your appointment, your physiotherapist will take a detailed history of your child’s health including their bladder and bowel function. They may also offer to assess your child’s bladder, bowel and muscle function using a real time ultrasound machine (performed externally, on the tummy). Based on our assessment findings, we will tailor an individualised management plan to suit the needs of your child.

For more information about our Children’s Continence Clinic, or to book an appointment, please contact our team via the details below. Please note that information provided in this article is general advice only. For individual advice, we recommend a consultation. For more information or if you are experiencing symptoms of osteoarthritis and would like to book an appointment, you can…

Contact our friendly reception team on 9822 4999 (Armadale) or 9486 0512 (East Melbourne)
Book online. Select ‘make a booking’ in the top right-hand corner of the screen and follow the prompts
Email us on fitwise@fitwise.com.au

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