Pediatric pelvic health is the part of physiotherapy almost nobody talks about, and it might be exactly what your child needs. Bedwetting, daytime leaks, poop accidents, and recurring UTIs are not things every kid simply outgrows, and they are very often driven by something most parents never suspect: constipation. In this episode of The Hole Shebang, Kristen Parise talks with pediatric pelvic health physiotherapist Keri Martin Vrbanac about how bladder and bowel problems show up in children, what a child friendly pelvic assessment really involves, and the honest answer to the question every tired parent asks about waiting it out.
What You Will Learn
How constipation quietly drives bladder leaks, bedwetting, and recurring UTIs in kids. Why daily pooping does not mean your child is in the clear. What a pelvic assessment with a child looks like, and why it never involves internal work. When to stop waiting for a child to grow out of bedwetting. Why early potty training can set a child up for problems. How stress, school bathrooms, and family change all land on a little pelvic floor.
In This Episode
- [01:02] Keri's path into pediatric pelvic health, and the personal reason behind it
- [03:31] Constipation as an epidemic, and the real estate analogy every parent should hear
- [06:05] Busting the myth that bedwetting and accidents are laziness or behaviour
- [08:36] Why Keri talks about poop loudly, and the "Keri with poop" headshot
- [09:33] What a pelvic assessment with a child actually looks like
- [14:31] What constipation really is, beyond pooping less than three times a week
- [19:38] First steps in treatment: biofeedback, breathing, and toilet posture
- [23:50] The school button story, and why kids will not use the bathroom at school
- [26:58] At what point a parent should stop waiting for a child to grow out of it
- [27:50] Potty training readiness, and why eighteen months is too early
- [30:15] Fluids before bed, and the hormone behind nighttime dryness
- [31:45] Constipation treatment options, from RestoraLAX to the Modified O'Regan Protocol
- [35:53] The book It's No Accident, and the long term cost of leaving it untreated
- [40:33] How family stress and big changes affect a child's pelvic floor
About Keri Martin Vrbanac
Keri Martin Vrbanac is a Registered Physiotherapist and pelvic health physiotherapist who has practised for decades and owns A Body In Motion Rehabilitation in the Kitchener Waterloo area. She works with all ages and all genders, with a deep focus on pediatric pelvic health, pregnancy and postpartum, pelvic pain, incontinence, and prolapse. She is trauma informed, an educator who teaches the pediatric pelvic floor course for Pelvic Health Solutions, a clinic owner, and a mom of two young women.
Theme Song: Masterpiece by Jessie J
Resources and References Mentioned
- It's No Accident by Dr. Steve Hodges, pediatric urologist
- The Modified O'Regan Protocol (MOP), originally developed by Dr. O'Regan and currently maintained by Dr. Steve Hodges
- RestoraLAX, an osmotic stool softener
- Desmopressin, a medication that mimics the natural overnight hormone that reduces urine production
Listen to More Episodes Like This
Connect with Keri
Website: abodyinmotion.ca
Instagram: @kerivpelvicpt and @abodyinmotionrehab
Facebook: Keri V Pelvic PT, and A Body In Motion Rehabilitation
Keep Listening and Connect
New episodes of The Hole Shebang every week. Subscribe wherever you listen, and leave a review to help more families find this conversation. Learn more about pelvic health for every age at blueberrytherapy.ca. Connect with The Hole Shebang on Instagram @blueberrytherapypelvichealth.
The only awkward conversation is the one we're not having.
