Bed Wetting | Queensbury, Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs
Ahh… one of the dreaded moments as a parent: awakened in the night by a child with wet PJs, a wet bed and possibly a wet mattress! Or better yet, discovering this scenario in the morning when you are running late and don’t have time to take care of it. You may have experienced feelings of frustration, guilt, anger, sadness; as though your child is the last to overcome this milestone. 
You don’t have to fret! Though time is one of the most common “treatments” (because the nervous system matures), there are many ways to help your child in this process. including At Innova Physical Therapy, we can assist with physical therapy for bed wetting in Queensbury, Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs and surrounding areas.
Bed Wetting FAQ
A few quick bed wetting facts:
- Technical term is Enuresis
- 10% of 6 year olds wet at night
- 15% cure rate per year after the age of 6
- Bed wetting affects boys 50% more than girls
- Bed wetting is correlated to:
- Constipation
- Genetics (if one parent also suffered, child has 40% increased likelihood, 77% if both parents)
- Upper airway obstruction (look for snoring or sleep apnea)
Though there are many factors to consider, here is a list of some doable changes you can incorporate at home:
- Fluid intake. Too much fluid can overfill the bladder and too little fluid can leave the urine concentrated and irritating. Children should drink 1 fl oz per weight in kilograms. To calculate the recommended daily fluid intake, divide your child’s weight in pounds by 2.2 to convert to kilograms and that is roughly the amount of fluid ounces he would need. Example of 50 lb child: 50/2.2 = 23 kg, so this child should intake roughly 23 oz of fluid. Also, make sure the urine color is clear or opaque yellow.
- How often does your child pee? Some children do not urinate frequently enough during the day and therefore may be more likely to need to urinate at night. The average range for children to urinate during the day is 4-7 times. If your child pees only 3, add in another time or two throughout the day.
- Constipation…the enemy! Because of the close relation of the colon and the bladder, if the colon is packed full of poo, this will add pressure on the bladder and may cause it to leak. (Refer to my previous post with helpful suggestions and information on physical therapy for constipation to aid in battling this culprit!)
- Bladder irritants. Caffeine, artificial sweeteners, chocolate and milk (think school lunches!), carbonation (soda and even seltzer water), spicy food, tomato-based food, red and blue food dye, as well as citrus, such as OJ. Cutting back on these drastically while trying to decrease the nighttime wetness can make a huge difference. A child could slowly add these back in after 6 month or so of dryness, or just skip them altogether and enjoy the health benefits of drinking more water.
Physical Therapy for Bed Wedding
There are many other great ideas and resources out there. Some include limiting fluid before bed, bed alarms, waking your child in the night to urinate, etc. But why go to extremes when these above tips can make a huge difference and can be quite easy to incorporate with minimal 
stress on the family?
If these don’t work for you, please give me a call. The bladder and bowel system can work almost automatically for most people, which we often take for granted when it does! I would love to help you or a loved one return to a burden-free life in this area!
P.S. Never thought of asking about physical therapy for bed wedding? You are not alone! You are probably familiar with physical therapy working specifically with muscles, bones and nerves in the body, so why not the ones connected to the bladder, bowels and pelvis? PT’s do need specialized training to help with these types of issues; therefore, not every PT office you step into will offer this type of care. You can find specialty-trained PTs through the APTA’s Section on Women’s Health and Herman and Wallace websites.
Call me at (518) 632-4944 to make an appointment for bed wetting in Queensbury, Glens Falls, Saratoga Springs, Lake George NY region.
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