When speaking with patients during an initial evaluation, it is usually discovered that there is pelvic floor dysfunction present that they did not notice. Patients will note that they don’t have any bowel dysfunction, but when talking later, it turns out there is dysfunction present that they thought was normal.
What are the different types of bowel dysfunction?
- Do you strain or hold your breath when using the restroom?
- Do you feel like you aren’t completely empty after having a bowel movement?
- Are you having a bowel movement less then three times a week?
- Are you leaking stool?
- Is having a bowel movement painful?
These are all examples of bowel dysfunction! A bowel movement should feel easy to pass, with no pain, strain or leakage, and at the end you should feel totally empty.
So what can you do to encourage a healthy bowel movement?
- Give yourself time to go at the same time every day.
- Use a stool to bring your knees up, it decreases tension in your pelvic floor to allow for more relaxation.
- Breathe! Don’t hold your breath or strain when attempting a bowel movement.
- Drink water! Water is important to help move stool through your colon, so if you are very dehydrated, your stool can become harder, leading to pain!
The wonderful thing is that you can treat this with pelvic floor therapy to help reduce symptoms! If you have difficulty with having a bowel movement, feel free to contact me at CSC+M today!
