Constipation

While it may not seem as urgent as some other gastrointestinal symptoms, chronic constipation can be a serious concern. If constipation has begun to interfere with your daily life, schedule an exam with us.

What is constipation?

Chronic constipation describes the condition of having infrequent bowel movements or the inability to move your bowels that lasts for several weeks or more. Generally speaking, if you’re having fewer than three bowel movements per week, you’re considered constipated.

Everyone experiences occasional constipation, but chronic or recurring constipation can interfere with your life and daily activities and could be a sign of an underlying problem with your digestive tract. Chronic constipation can also lead to excessive straining to have a bowel movement, which may cause a range of complications.

How do I know if I’m constipated?

Signs and symptoms of constipation usually include:

• Having fewer than three bowel movements per week
• Lumpy or hard stools
• Having to strain to move your bowels
• Feeling as though a blockage in your rectum is preventing you from moving your bowels
• Feeling like you can’t completely empty your bowels
• Needing help to empty your bowels, like by pressing on your stomach with your hands

If you’ve been experiencing one or more of these symptoms for over three months, it’s considered chronic constipation.

What causes constipation?

There are a number of reasons you may experience chronic constipation. In most cases brief constipation is due to dietary imbalances or other temporary gastrointestinal distress. Chronic constipation, however, can occur for a variety of reasons.

Sometimes it’s due to an underlying condition that affects the nerves in your colon and rectum, such as:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Injury to the spinal cord
• Stroke
• Taking medication to relieve pain.
• Change in diet

Constipation can also be due to a blockage in your colon. These can be due to anal fissures, colon cancer, or other bowel obstructions. Injuries or weaknesses in the muscles involved in digestion can also cause constipation.

Diseases that affect hormone production like diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism can also cause constipation, as can the hormonal shifts that accompany pregnancy.