What is Fecal Incontinence?
Fecal incontinence, also referred to as bowel incontinence, is defined as the inability to control the bowel resulting in the release of stool unexpectedly. Inside the body, the large intestines extract waste from the digestive process and store it in the rectum. As the rectum becomes full, the body feels the need to use the restroom to release the stool. Prior to release, the rectum is able to hold the feces and prevent leakage via the sphincter muscles which acts as a plug. Victims of fecal incontinence have lost the normal control of holding and releasing stool. The typical cause of bowel incontinence is weakened rectum & sphincter muscles. In addition, damage to nerves can cause fecal incontinence since an otherwise healthy rectum muscle cannot function independent of the nervous system.
As with other medical conditions, it is best to seek the council of your physician if you experience fecal incontinence. Understand that more than 5 million Americans have bowel incontinence. Your doctor will able to diagnose the cause of the incontinence issue as well as explain the degree of the symptoms and treatment options available. Treatment options include making dietary changes, training muscles in the bowel region, or even conducting surgery.