Taking Control of Chronic Constipation
The fall brings on a lot of “new’s”- new season, new activities, new school year- but it can also bring back something not quite as fun especially in our kiddos. I’m talking about constipation. To be more clear, chronic constipation in kids can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with. Through tears of not wanting to try to go because of pain, missing school because of a belly ache, or multiple trips to different offices only to be told it is “just” constipation, again. It doesn’t have to be this bad and there are a lot of at home remedies and interventions that can be used to help our little ones go- after all, everyone poops why not make it easier? Sometimes, we will see an uptick in constipation symptoms after starting a new school year for a variety of reasons. This can be stress of a new school, teacher or class; or a change in an existing routine causing a backup in more ways than one. Sometimes, we can’t pinpoint exactly what is causing the increase, but with these few tips some of this burden can be eased.
How can chiropractic help constipation?
Chiropractors are helping to modulate the nervous system. Our adjustments can help to “reset” your nervous system and put you back into a state of balance. To put it plain and simple, our nervous system is split into two different sections- the parasympathetic or “rest and digest” state, and sympathetic state or “fight or flight”. Many times our bodies can get stuck in the “fight or flight” mode which prevents our body from switching over to the other side. If we cannot get back to the “rest and digest” state, our bodies do not devote time or energy into attempting to move our bowels. We can also take a look at the muscular system in particular, to make sure that your muscles are able to relax when you tell them to. This is a massive component to ensuring for a smooth time in the bathroom because if we aren’t able to relax our pelvic floor and surrounding muscles, we aren’t able to pass stool!
What can you do at home?
Create a bathroom schedule. Especially once kids go back to school, they are not sitting on the toilet trying to go or are not reminded to go as frequently as they would be at home. Do your best to create a schedule for when to have them try to go during and outside of school!
Educate! Helping your kid know how to sit on the toilet and what muscles are needed to have a bowel movement. Proper posture on the toilet is sometimes over looked, we do like the squatty potty and something to help keep them relaxed like a book or toy to have with them. It has been found that over 48% of kids with constipation have a hard time connecting their brain to pelvic floor and surrounding muscles to help relax!
Get moving! Physical movement helps to move the bowels around and bring blood flow to the area as well. This is all necessary to have a good bowel movement and can even become part of a great routine long term. We recommend a combination of exercises and stretches in the morning to help get the bowels moving.
Get your fruits and veggies in. Naturally occurring fiber is found in fruits and veggies which can help keep bowel movements more regular. They are also high in vitamin C which our body needs to help get water into our intestines to help soften stool. We love roasted veggies, especially carrots and Brussel sprouts, as a good place to aim your focus.
Consider supplements. Sometimes magnesium and vitamin C can be helpful to kick start a bowel movement and continue regular movements following. Magnesium citrate specifically can help the body pull water into the bowels to help soften stool up, similar to Vitamin C- making it more comfortable to go. Always be sure to check dosage before starting with kids.
Where to Start
Constipation can be overwhelming, but the truth of the matter is that it is no one’s fault. We want to help educate and arm our patients with adequate resources. We recommend talking to your pediatrician to help rule out anything serious, such as an obstruction, which could be causing constipation. Once that is done, setting up an appointment with a chiropractor and a pelvic floor PT will help provide the care needed to support your child’s nervous system and muscular system to allow for easier bowel movements. For the most well rounded care, it is also valuable to see a Functional Medicine doctor or dietician to provide more guidance on nutrition, supplements, and possibly testing such as a functional stool test.
Other resources that are helpful are:
Read The Constipation Game Plan
Aviva Romm’s article on Treating Children’s Constipation Naturally
We are here to help and ready to answer any questions you may have!
