Pelvic Floor in Children and Adolescents

Support your child in learning pelvic floor awareness and relaxation

Why pelvic floor therapy for children?

The pelvic floor is an important muscle group in the body that is often underestimated – especially in children. However, well-functioning pelvic floor muscles are an essential key to the health of boys and girls, not only for urinary incontinence and nocturnal enuresis, but also as they reach puberty and adulthood. Biofeedback pelvic floor training can improve quality of life in the long term.

Where is the pelvic floor located?

The pelvic floor forms the lower boundary of the abdominal cavity. Its muscles are directly connected to the pelvic bones. Together with the back muscles, it plays an important role in posture, supports the abdominal organs, helps with pressure regulation when coughing or sneezing, and controls bowel and bladder function.

Why is the pelvic floor important for children?

Learning to pee is a skill. It’s not as simple as it sounds — urination involves a complex interaction between the bladder muscle and the external sphincter muscle. A well-functioning pelvic floor is just as essential for bowel control, as well as for maintaining upright posture, supporting breathing, and, later in life, for sexual function. As children develop and with some practice, they normally learn to consciously control their bladder — first during the day, and later at night. The age at which continence is achieved varies greatly between individuals.

When should a child see a doctor?

Not all children achieve dryness at the same pace. As parents, it’s important to offer support and give the child the time they need. If the child is older and feels distressed about bedwetting, it’s advisable to consult a doctor. Parents should be aware that bladder dysfunction in children can have various causes — including physical, neurological, or psychological factors. A diagnosis by a pediatric urologist will be followed by a therapy recommendation. Pelvic floor therapy with a physiotherapist is a helpful option in many cases.

Pelvic floor therapy for children

Pediatric pelvic floor physiotherapists support young patients with patience and care on their path to dryness. First, the anatomy of the pelvic floor and pelvic organs is explained to the child in an age-appropriate way. Then, fluid intake and toilet habits are discussed together. Targeted exercises to strengthen and raise awareness of the pelvic floor muscles follow. The non-invasive PelvicTool Home & Sport has proven to be a helpful training device – it’s easy to use, and thanks to the playful structure of the training app, children find it easier to learn pelvic floor awareness and relaxation. In therapy, the PelvicTool is also used for bowel incontinence to improve coordination and promote relaxation of the pelvic floor.

Pelvic floor training with biofeedback: PelvicTool

The PelvicTool from Alonea works with biofeedback to teach your child how to tense and relax their pelvic floor in a playful way. The gentle, non-invasive method ensures painless and effective strengthening of the pelvic floor.

Pelvic Floor Training App Stability

Playfully training the pelvic floor

The PelvicTool pelvic floor training device works in combination with the PelvicTool Home & Sport app. Together with the therapist, the child selects a suitable game on a smartphone or tablet to specifically address their individual challenges.

pelvic floor training with app
pelvic floor training device

Pelvic floor trainer with app: PelvicTool Home & Sport

pelvicfloor-training-device-pelvictool-appHelps your child develop awareness and control of the pelvic floor muscles through play.

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How will my child train with the PelvicTool?

Children and adolescents suffering from pelvic dysfunction should receive therapeutic support. Regular exercise at home is important for progress and can easily be done at home under the guidance of a physiotherapist or urotherapist:

  • The PelvicTool is placed on a flat surface, such as a stool; it consists of a comfortable seat cushion and a soft sensor tube attached to the centre of the cushion.
  • The child can sit on it in light training clothes and use the PelvicTool- app on a smartphone or tablet to complete the playful training programmes. Important: The feet must be flat on the floor or on a stool.
  • Thanks to biofeedback, you can see on screen in real time how your pelvic floor muscles tense and relax as you do the exercises. A great way to train awareness, and even fun for the kids!

Healthy pelvic floor for the whole family

  • Improved awareness and control of pelvic floor muscles. The PelvicTool uses biofeedback to support your child’s pelvic floor awareness in a playful way.
  • Progress monitoring. The visual feedback provided by biofeedback allows children to track their progress and motivates them to do their best. This makes training fun and rewarding – an important part of keeping them engaged and enjoying their training.
  • Preventing health problems. A well-coordinated pelvic floor in children can help prevent problems such as bedwetting, faecal incontinence and urinary tract infections. This means that supported pelvic floor therapy lays the foundation for a lifetime of good health.
  • High quality materials. Our biofeedback pelvic floor trainer is made from high quality materials that are safe and durable. This makes the PelvicTool suitable for the sensitive skin and needs of children, especially as no direct skin contact is required.
  • No special cleaning required – simply wipe with a damp cloth after pelvic floor training.
  • Health for the whole family. Mums, dads, siblings and grandparents can all exercise with the PelvicTool. Well coordinated pelvic floor muscles are essential for the health and well-being of the whole family!

Where can I get the PelvicTool?

Many pelvic floor therapists who specialise in paediatrics are already working with the PelvicTool, for example: Kinderklinik Bern, Kinderspital Luzern, Ostschweizer Kinderspital St. Gallen To find a pelvic floor therapist, you can use the Directory of therapists from pelvisuisse or ask your paediatric urologist for a recommendation. If you are specifically looking for a practice that uses the PelvicTool, please ask about it before starting therapy.  

Rent or buy

In addition to selling the PelvicTool, some Alonea sales partners also offer monthly rental of the PelvicTool. Switzerland: Parsenn Produkte AG, Küblis Phone 081 300 33 33 Germany: Beckenbden-Gesundheit.com, Sulzberg, Tel. +49 157 8864 53 79

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Pelvic floor training for children: better awareness of the pelvic floor with biofeedback

The PelvicTool Home & Sport is based on the principle of biofeedback. When training with biofeedback, barely perceptible bodily processes such as the tensing and relaxing of the pelvic floor muscles are measured by sensors and converted into visible signals. The biofeedback technique has proved ideal for pelvic floor training because the pelvic floor muscles are hidden inside the body and many people find it difficult at first to feel the right muscle and to move and control it voluntarily.

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Pelvic floor training device with app evaluation tablet smartphone exercises PelvicTool

Success monitoring via app

The pelvic floor muscles are located inside the body. This makes it difficult to judge whether the right muscles are being used during exercise. Active neuromuscular control is usually limited, especially at the beginning of exercise. The PelvicTool App provides a remedy by allowing visual control of the training.

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Sources, links and further reading

Scientific publications
Clinical trials

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