How it Happens
Chronic constipation can cause the stool to get impacted in the bowel, making it so hard that it may be impossible to move the mass without medical assistance. When this happens, watery stool may move around the obstruction causing unintentional bowel movements and soiling of the clothing. Those patients who are most vulnerable to this condition are those who take narcotic pain medications of any kind, Methadone, medications for the nervous system, diarrhea prevention medications, and those people who have a limited range of motion, like patients with dementia or those with cerebral palsy and other nervous system conditions.
Drink Enough Water
Another cause of stool impaction can be decreased water intake, because the body extracts water from its cells in order to promote bowel movement. If there is not enough water in the body in the first place there will not be enough to create a healthy bowel movement. It can help to increase not only fluid intake, but fiber as well, from whole-wheat grains, bran, fruits and vegetables, which can add bulk to the stool, helping you to regain normal bowel movements.
Movement Creates a Movement
To maintain a healthy bowel function you need to get enough exercise, even if you are confined to a wheelchair or a bed. There are low impact exercises that you can do from those positions, such as changing position, performing abdominal crunches and leg raises, if you can do so. Physical therapy can help for those who are unable to move on their own. However it is done, the exercises should be done several times each day to promote the best possible bowel health.
Tags: bowel movement, bowel movements, cause stool, healthy bowel, nervous system