Pediatric Incontinence
Has Your Child Been Living with Incontinence?
Incontinence is a condition that can affect people of all ages. While many children gain control of their bladders between the ages of 2 and 4, this is not the case for all children.
Of course, occasional bedwetting is usually not a cause for concern; however, if your child is having trouble controlling their bladder frequently during the day or at night, it may be a sign that there is an issue.
According to the Urology Care Foundation,
“A child may have a bladder control problem (urinary incontinence) if they leak urine by accident and are past the age of toilet training. Daytime urinary incontinence, also called daytime wetting, is broadly defined as involuntary, sporadic leaking of urine throughout the day in children 5 years of age and under. Nighttime urinary incontinence (nocturnal enuresis) is more commonly referred to as bedwetting and happens when a child urinates without control while they are sleeping.”
What should I know about incontinence?
There are two main types of incontinence: stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is caused when one experiences a urine leak due to pressure on the bladder. For example, stress incontinence can occur in a child when they are playing, laughing, coughing, or sneezing.
Urge incontinence is caused when there is a sudden and emergent need to urinate. A child experiencing urge incontinence may not have enough time to make it to the toilet before leakage occurs.
One of our Palmyra, MO or Florence, SC physical therapists can help identify the type of incontinence your child is experiencing, which will tell us more about why they are experiencing incontinence and the types of treatment they will need to fix the issue.
It is recommended that you keep a “bladder diary” for your child to keep track of how frequently they wet their pants, as well as any details that may seem important to note (for example, time of day, what they were doing, time since last urination, etc.)
