Combined Physiotherapy and Pharmacological Treatment Shows Superior Long-term Benefits for Functional Constipation in Children

A recent study compared the immediate and long-term effectiveness of pharmacological treatment, physiotherapy, and a combination of both in children with functional constipation. 
The study involved 69 children aged 5 to 14 years, who were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: pharmacological (Group A), physiotherapy (Group B), and combined therapy (Group C). 
Outcome measures included the Visual Analogue Scale, Bristol Stool Form Scale, defecation frequency, PedsQL GI symptom scale, and PedsQL Generic Core scale.
The results showed statistically significant improvements in defecation frequency, stool form, and pain relief across all groups. However, Groups B and C demonstrated greater improvements in overall quality of life, as measured by the PedsQL scales, compared to Group A, which showed no significant changes in these parameters.
The study concludes that while both physiotherapy and pharmacological treatments are effective, the combination of both therapies yields the most significant long-term benefits in reducing constipation symptoms and improving quality of life in children. These findings suggest that a multidisciplinary approach may offer better outcomes for managing pediatric functional constipation.