7 year old pooping in pants

When you mentioned past constipation and painful poos, I thought of something I had read. There is a serious medical condition called Encopresis, that starts when children begin to hold their poop because of the fear of it hurting. Their colons actually become enlarged, from all of it backing up. I don't know all the details, but I do know, that if she does have this, or is at the beginnings of it, if it's not treated right away, it can go on for years.