Many children and their families suffer from anxiety, embarrassment, and shame surrounding problems caused by bowel and bladder dysfunction. Many times, these issues are not discussed with healthcare professionals and therefore go untreated. The causes of pediatric bowel and bladder issues are many. They can be related to environmental or psychological factors or be due to an immature part of the nervous system that controls the bladder.
Problems can also be caused by the pelvic muscles being too active and in spasm, too tight and weak. The bowel and bladder share similar nerves so oftentimes, children with bowel issues also have bladder issues. Typically, most children are toilet-trained by the age of 4 with few accidents. If this is not the case, it can greatly affect the quality of life for the whole family.
