Chiropractic and Nocturnal Enuresis (Bed Wedding)

Sarah was 10 years old and still wetting the bed. When her little sister was able to ditch the pull ups before her, Sarah was distraught. Her parents tried everything and anything. Her pediatrician’s advice was that Sarah would just eventually outgrow it. In fact, many pediatricians don’t consider bedwetting a problem until a child is 7 years old, but most kids are capable of staying dry all night long much earlier than that. She was already missing out on sleep overs and overnight camp and it was beginning to really have an effect on her self-esteem. Her mom knew she had to try something!

Whether your child is younger than 7 or well beyond that age, bedwetting is no fun for anyone involved. The medical term for bedwetting, nocturnal enuresis, includes both children who have wet the bed since birth and those who have gained bladder control and then seemingly lose it again at nighttime.

Sarah’s mom had a friend that suggested she give chiropractic care a try. She was thinking, “chiropractic for bed-wetting?? My daughter doesn’t have any back pain.” – Absolutely consider chiropractic! There is a nerve called the phrenic nerve which plays a role in the phrenic reflex. This nerve exits the spine between the third, fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. Chiropractic adjustments can focus on the vertebrae that affect the bladder and can help to improve function of the nervous system by relieving the subluxations that impede on proper communication and function.

In fact, results from a study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (Elsevier Inc., 2005) found that one quarter of the 171 children in the study treated with chiropractic had a 50% reduction of wet nights.

Unfortunately, there is really no way to tell if a child is simply slow in the development of the phrenic reflex, or if a subluxation is the direct cause of the problem. Chiropractic examination can help pinpoint spinal problems, but the only real way to see if chiropractic care will help Nocturnal Enuresis is to actually try it. A series of chiropractic adjustments will generally determine whether or not chiropractic care will be of help. Sarah’s parents tried all traditional methods and decided to give it a try. She was seen twice a week for about a month. They noticed a significant reduction in frequency in incidents until eventually things stopped all together.

When Sarah had made it an entire week without wetting the bed, she was elated. She and her mom went out and got a cute new pajama set and invited kids over for her very first sleep over!