Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Bed-wetting beyond the toddler years can be a frustrating issue for both you and your child. Your child may avoid social gatherings like sleepovers or even be afraid to take a nap while away from home. You may grow tired of daily laundry and—even if you know your child isn't wetting the bed on purpose—find it hard to suppress the desire to impose consequences. Although contraptions like bed alarms and rubber sheets can manage some of the laundry issues that come from chronic bed-wetting, they aren't always enough to tackle the physical aspects of this issue. Read on to learn more about how a chiropractor may be able to help your child overcome bed-wetting.

What Causes Bed-Wetting?

Many pediatric specialists believe that bed-wetting that continues past the time a child should be fully potty-trained is the result of a delay in communication between the nerves that control urination and the brain signals that tell a child he or she needs to find a toilet soon. Many children who wet the bed will wake up just after they've begun to urinate, as the sensation of being wet triggers a response in their brain. 

Because of this, treatment options like bed alarms that detect wetness may not be as helpful as they seem—many children will already be awake before a drop of urine hits the bedsheet. The key to controlling bed-wetting lies in making sure the child can wake up before he or she begins to urinate. Sometimes, taking measures to reduce the risk of nighttime urination like restricting liquids after a certain time of day can help until your child grows out of it, but in other cases, bed-wetting may persist even despite your best efforts.  

How Can Chiropractic Treatment Help With Bed-Wetting? 

In some cases, there's a physical reason behind the failure in communication between urinary nerves and the brain. If these nerves are being compressed or pinched by scar tissue or misaligned spinal vertebrae, they may not be able to transfer electrical signals as efficiently as "unblocked" nerves. Adjusting the spinal vertebrae and pelvis into their optimal position can free these nerves and ensure your child awakens as soon as he or she feels the urge to urinate.

Often, the frequency of bed-wetting can begin to decrease after a single chiropractic visit. In other cases, your child may need several sessions over the course of a few weeks or months (or regular "maintenance" visits) to realize the full potential of a chiropractic adjustment.