Physical Therapy Services
For Children & Adolescents

SPH offers the largest pediatric pelvic health physical therapy program in Georgia.

Our Doctors of Physical Therapy have specialized training in working with children and adolescents dealing with problems like constipation, bowel accidents and encopresis, bedwetting, bladder accidents, abdominal and pelvic pain, and much more. We utilize a research-based child-focused approach in a comfortable, friendly and positive atmosphere.

Our Pediatric Care Approach

We realize that seeking care for these private problems can often feel intimidating to children and parents. You’ll have confidence knowing that your child’s provider has had specialized training and regularly seeks advanced knowledge to provide the best pediatric pelvic health therapy available. We aim to make our appointments fun and comfortable, and utilize educational books and toys, animated surface EMG biofeedback, and many other resources to help treatment be successful.

Our clinicians value a multidisciplinary approach so will work closely with your child’s pediatrician and other medical specialists to build the customized care plan that will work best for your child and your family.

Pediatric Conditions
We Specialize In Treating

  • Constipation

    Constipation is a very common problem for children and can be related to many factors, including diet, daily habits, pelvic floor muscles and other GI diagnoses.

    Our program often includes education for the child and parents to optimize the daily bowel routine, abdominal wall massage and gentle visceral mobilization, exercises to improve awareness of the pelvis, pelvic floor and abdomen, animated surface EMG biofeedback training, and much more.

  • Encopresis

    Encopresis occurs in cases of constipation, when large amounts of stool stretch the rectum, leading to seepage of stool around the harder stool.

    Our program initially focuses on optimizing bowel emptying and improving constipation, progressing toward improving muscular awareness and control. This can include education for the child and parents to optimize the daily bowel routine, abdominal wall massage and gentle visceral mobilization, exercises to improve awareness of the pelvis, pelvic floor and abdomen, animated surface EMG biofeedback training, and much more.

  • Functional Abdominal Pain

    Functional abdominal pain refers to persistent pain in the abdomen/pelvis not associated with specific organ pathology.

    We comprehensively evaluate and treat children and adolescents dealing with this and address areas including posture and movement, spinal, hip and pelvic mobility, soft tissue mobility in the abdomen and pelvis, pelvic floor function, as well as bladder and bowel habits. We then build a customized program which often includes specific educational components, manual therapies and exercises easily implemented at home.

  • Bedwetting or Enuresis

    While bedwetting is common in young children, the International Children’s Continence Society recommends active treatment by age 6 for the well-being of the child.

    We utilize an individualized approach for bedwetting which may include optimizing bowel and bladder daytime habits, pelvic floor muscle retraining, animated surface EMG biofeedback, specific exercises for home programming, dry bed training, and alarm training. We also collaborate with your child’s medical team to facilitate the best care possible for your child.

  • Daytime Bladder Accidents

    Bladder accidents can frequently occur in children. At times, this can happen due to constipation, as the colon and bladder are very close together in the pelvis. At other times, bladder accidents may occur when constipation is resolved or was not a problem.

    Our approach often includes optimizing the bladder habits, teaching the child to connect with their bladder and pelvic floor muscles to respond to bladder urges, retraining the pelvic floor muscle to ensure coordination for contraction and relaxation, animated surface EMG biofeedback training, specific home exercises, and much more.

  • Menstrual Pain (Dysmennorrhea)

    Painful menstrual cramps are one of the leading causes of missed school for adolescents.

    We strive to encourage a multidisciplinary approach and facilitate medical care and referrals when indicated. Physical therapy interventions have been shown in research to have a positive effect on menstrual cramps. We aim to help our patients build a robust tool kit with specific exercises and modalities to reduce their pain during their periods and help give them control and power over how they feel.

We are Here for you

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“I am so thankful we found Dr. Jessica Reale! My almost 7 year old son has a genetic disorder that comes with several health problems. Thankfully potty training was a breeze for him and he never had any accidents. But in the past two years his health worsened and along with it he started to have stool accidents. It was humiliating for him and greatly impacted his already compromised quality of life. Thankfully we were referred to Dr. Jessica! I was nervous given the intimate nature of pelvic floor PT and how my son would do with the PT since this was a sensitive problem for him. I had a wonderful conversation on the phone with Jessica and she set me at ease with how she would treat him. After a few months of treatment my son is doing amazing and is back to being accident free! We are incredibly thankful for her knowledge, open mindedness, commitment, silliness, and joy that Dr. Jessica brings.

VICTORIA S. | 2020