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Bowel Dysfunction

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Bowel Dysfunction

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Created OnSeptember 19, 2019
byPHS Team

Bowel Dysfunction

 

Bowel dysfunction can have many causes and can present as a wide range of symptoms including diarrhea, constipation, pain, bleeding, and difficulty evacuating the bowels.

Causes of Bowel Dysfunction

  • Myofascial tension
  • Diet-related factors
  • Lack of movement
  • Inflammation and irritation of the gut
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Neurological conditions

 

Types of Bowel Dysfunction 

  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
    • Characterized by pain before, during, and after a bowel movement.
    • Pain is sometimes lessened with evacuation.
    • Gas and bloating.
    • Mucus in the stool.
    • Feeling of incomplete evacuation.
    • Three categories of IBS:
      • IBS-D: diarrhea-predominant
      • IBS-C: constipation-predominant
      • IBS-M: alternating diarrhea and constipation
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
      • Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
        • Characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract.
        • Abdominal pain and/or cramping
        • Diarrhea
        • Blood and/or mucus in stool
        • Fever
        • Fatigue
        • Weight/appetite loss
        • Malnutrition
      • Other Types May Include Dysfunction Driven By:
        • Muscle and Soft Tissue Dysfunction:
          • Tension
          • Weakness
          • Lack of coordination
          • An overactive, stressed-out nervous system
        • Not all bowel concerns are categorized or given a specific diagnosis.

 

Signs and Symptoms of Bowel Dysfunction

  • Diarrhea
    • Loose, watery, unformed bowel movements.
    • Evacuation of stool occurs more than 3 times daily.
  • Constipation
    • .
  • Abdominal Pain Due to Bowel Dysfunction
    • Pain and cramping from a variety of factors:
      • Bloating and/or cramping from gas
      • Myofascial tension
      • Fecal retention
      • Inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome
  • Hemorrhoids
    • Swollen veins in the anal and rectal area.
    • May be internal (inside the rectum) or external (around the anal opening).
    • Symptoms/signs: Rectal pain and bleeding with bowel movements, rectal itching.
  • Fissures 
    • A small tear in the lining of the anus.
    • Potential cause: Passing hard or large stool during a bowel movement.
    • Symptoms/signs: Rectal pain and bleeding with bowel movements.
  • Faecal Incontinence
    • Inability to control bowel movements, resulting in the leakage of stool.
    • May range from a small amount of stool lost to loss of the entire contents of the bowels.
    • Can be due to:
      • Fecal impaction as a result of severe constipation
      • Weakness of internal and external anal sphincters
  • Dyssynergia
    • A lack of coordination of muscles.
    • In the case of bowel dysfunction, the pelvic floor muscles contract instead of relaxing when attempting to evacuate.
  • Difficulty Evacuating
    • This could range from lacking the urge to evacuate the bowels, difficulty initiating evacuation, or failure to fully evacuate.
    • Prolapse of the rectum can result in difficulty evacuating because stool can get stuck in the “pocket” of the prolapse.
  • Pain During or After a Bowel Movement
    • Could be due to many factors:
      • Persistent pelvic pain conditions
      • Bowel conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome
      • Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
      • Endometriosis
      • Tension in the pelvic floor muscles
      • Anal fissures
      • Internal or external hemorrhoids

Treatment for Bowel Dysfunction

Pelvic health physiotherapy is an essential component in the treatment of symptoms associated with bowel concerns. Treatment may include:

  • Hemorrhoid/fissure care education
  • Bowel and bladder education
  • Toileting/evacuation positioning and techniques
  • I-L-U abdominal self-massage
  • Pain education
  • Diet modification
  • Therapeutic exercise
  • External myofascial techniques
  • Internal myofascial techniques
  • Pelvic floor muscle training
    • Proprioceptive training
    • Strengthening muscles
    • Lengthening/relaxing muscles
  • Treatment of the nervous system

Bowel concerns can have a major impact on one’s daily life, but the treatments above can offer an understanding of how your body works, ways to improve its function, and increased control over your symptoms.

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