Suffering from Fecal Incontinence? You’re Not Alone

Nov 20, 2023

Bowel Dysfunction

Plus, pelvic floor physical therapy offers several treatment options

Do you struggle with persistent diarrhea, bowel urgency, or even bowel leakage? If so, know that one in eight women also struggle with fecal incontinence. Like urinary incontinence, it’s a relatively common after-affect of pregnancy, and fortunately, treatment options are available! At Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy in IL, we’re here to help.

For most women suffering from fecal incontinence, their condition is caused by obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS), which occur during childbirth. Despite how infrequently fecal incontinence is discussed, it’s becoming common: there is evidence that OASIS injuries are increasing among women who delivered vaginally.

At Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy in IL, we understand that fecal incontinence is a private, embarrassing matter. However, there is no reason for you to suffer needlessly, and we offer a safe space where you can discuss your symptoms and seek treatment. Schedule an appointment with Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy today to learn more.

What exactly is fecal incontinence?

There’s no way around it: fecal incontinence deals with poop. However, the actual poop is not the culprit; instead, the condition is caused by a dysfunction of the pelvic floor muscles, particularly the muscles around the bowels and anus.

Fecal incontinence can look different for different women. Flatus incontinence is the inability to control the urge to pass gas. Urge incontinence occurs when you feel the need to pass a stool but simply don’t make it to the bathroom in time. And finally, passive incontinence, the most extreme form, occurs when there is no sensation of needing to void the bowels before the stool passes.

Fecal incontinence also brings a host of co-morbidities, largely due to the shame many people feel around the condition. Women with fecal incontinence report experiencing depression, anxiety, and a decreased quality of life. Furthermore, if OASIS injuries cause the incontinence, many women also experience pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and urinary incontinence.

Physical therapy is here to help

Fecal incontinence is an alarming condition. Fortunately, it’s not one you necessarily have to live with, as physical therapy offers several potential treatment options that can alleviate symptoms and improve your overall bowel health.

Depending on the exact cause of your condition, the physical therapists at Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy might suggest one or more of the following treatments:

Strengthening exercises: We’ll help you strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that control your bowel movements, including showing you exactly what exercises to do and developing a strength-training program!
Biofeedback: This technology can help you get the most out of your strengthening exercises by ensuring the correct muscles get their workout! It can also help us track your progress and see how much stronger those muscles are becoming.
Bowel training: We’ll work with you to develop a program for training your bowels to wait a little longer before you void them. Over time, bowel training can help ensure you don’t ever have an accident if you can’t quickly get to a restroom.
Electrical stimulation: This tool sends a mild, painless electrical shock to your pelvic floor muscles, helping them to contract and strengthen.
Education: Finally, we’ll arm you with all the lifestyle information you need to help improve your condition, including dietary and exercise advice.

We know that taking the first step toward treatment for fecal incontinence can be difficult. That’s why Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy in IL strives itself on creating a welcoming, discreet environment where you can freely discuss your condition–including the progress you’ll make on relieving your symptoms.

What to expect from your treatment at Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy

Our team of experts will start by making you feel comfortable. Your comfort is our highest priority! We want you to know that you are free to discuss your fecal incontinence symptoms as freely as you would any other medical condition–because fecal incontinence is a medical condition like any other.

Once you feel comfortable doing so, our experts will take a detailed health history and conduct a thorough physical examination. This will help us determine the cause of your incontinence and develop a treatment plan.

Your treatment plan will be customized based on your needs, goals, and general fitness levels, although it will likely be built around a pelvic floor strengthening program. Most people take at least several weeks to see improvement, and we’ll be with your every step of the way–both in the clinic and as a resource for exercises and prevention strategies you can do at home.

Schedule an appointment with Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy today!

Fecal incontinence might feel embarrassing, but it’s far more common than many think. Schedule an appointment with Vitality Women’s Physical Therapy in IL, and we’ll help put your poop exactly where it needs to be: out of mind.

Suffering from Fecal Incontinence? You’re Not Alone