Darlene Ryan earns pediatric pelvic health advanced credential

Fundamental Physical Therapy says owner Darlene Ryan earned the Pediatric Pelvic Health Advanced Practitioner credential on Aug. 23, 2026, recognizing advanced skills in children’s bowel, bladder and pelvic floor care. The credential highlights growing specialization for families dealing with constipation, bedwetting and incontinence in the Huntersville and Charlotte area.

Why it matters: - The credential formally recognizes advanced pediatric pelvic health expertise for a clinician treating children with bowel and bladder problems. - Families in the Lake Norman and greater Charlotte region now have a listed practitioner with specialized training in pediatric pelvic floor care. - The recognition may help improve access to earlier, more targeted support for constipation, urinary issues, fecal leakage and bedwetting.

What happened: - Fundamental Physical Therapy announced that Darlene Ryan, PT, earned the Pediatric Pelvic Health Advanced Practitioner credential on Aug. 23, 2026, from Kids Bowel and Bladder. - Ryan is the owner and physical therapist at Fundamental Physical Therapy in Huntersville, North Carolina. - Ryan has more than 20 years of experience in pelvic health physical therapy.

The details: - The Pediatric Pelvic Health Advanced Practitioner credential is a new, competency-based credential for physical and occupational therapy practitioners with specialized pediatric pelvic health expertise. - Candidates are evaluated through clinical case material, structured documentation, reflective self-assessment and an evidence-informed clinical practice contribution. - The program emphasizes trauma-informed, child-safe, ethical and family-centered care. - Ryan’s practice serves women and children and focuses on bowel and bladder dysfunction, constipation, urinary and fecal incontinence, bedwetting and other pelvic health concerns. - Ryan’s pediatric services address chronic constipation, stool withholding, fecal leakage, urinary urgency and frequency, daytime accidents and nighttime bedwetting. - Treatment can include toileting habits, bowel and bladder routines, posture, breathing, coordination, core function and pelvic floor muscle function, depending on the child’s needs. - Ryan founded Fundamental Physical Therapy in 2019 after working in a hospital system. - The practice offers individualized, one-on-one pelvic physical therapy care in Huntersville. - Ryan works to educate parents and collaborate with referring healthcare professionals so bowel and bladder dysfunction can be identified and addressed early. - Families and healthcare professionals can find practitioners through the active PPHAP Graduate Registry, where Ryan is listed. - More information is available on Fundamental Physical Therapy's website.

Between the lines: - Ryan’s comments show the care is meant to address more than symptoms alone and to account for how bowel and bladder issues affect a child’s confidence, school life, sports, sleepovers and family routines. - The credentialing push reflects a broader effort to make pediatric pelvic health more visible and more standardized within therapy practice. - The announcement also positions collaboration among physical therapists, pediatricians and other clinicians as central to getting children help sooner.

What's next: - Ryan will continue using the credential as part of her pediatric pelvic health practice in Huntersville and the greater Charlotte area. - Fundamental Physical Therapy says the recognition supports its focus on specialized, evidence-informed care for children and families. - The practice is encouraging families and healthcare professionals to learn more about pediatric pelvic floor physical therapy and reach out directly for information.

The bottom line: - Ryan’s new credential gives Fundamental Physical Therapy a formal pediatric specialty that could help more local families find targeted help for chronic bowel and bladder concerns.