Comparative Study on the Effects of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Abdominal Muscle Training in Functional Constipation among Children

To compare the effects of pelvic floor muscle exercise and abdominal muscle training, breathing exercises and abdominal massage in children with functional constipation. Functional constipation is one the most common gastrointestinal condition in pediatrics practice with an estimation prevalence ranging from 0.7% to 29.6%. It has a multifactorial pathophysiology mainly consisting of stool with holding and delayed colonic transit.30 subjects who met the Rome-Ill criteria for pediatric functional constipation were randomly divided into 2 groups. Group-A was trained with pelvic floor muscle exercise along with squat walking for 5 min under supervision of parents. Exercise duration was increased 5 min per week, for two consecutive weeks and remained the same for the next six weeks and Kegels was performed for 10 seconds. Group-B was given isometric training of the abdominal muscle which was carried out in two ways. The patient was either lying down in a left lateral decubitus position with the hip and knee flexed at 90 degrees with two series of eight contractions and relaxations until the third week and was then increased to two series of 12 contractions and relaxations for 6 weeks. In the sitting or lying down method, training began with one series of three contractions and relaxations lasting 10 s which was increased to five repetitions in the third week until the sixth week along with abdomen tuck-in exercise. Diaphragmatic breathing and abdominal massage was given to both groups in common. The intervention of the study was about 8 weeks.Results of statistical analysis showed that both Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises and Abdominal Muscle Training are effective in treating functional constipation among children. However pelvic floor muscle exercise was better than abdominal muscle training on the basis of Wexner Construction Scoring System.