Hard bowel movements is widely used in medicine as a physical complaint. This can be a harmless disorder or a serious symptom.
What is hard bowel movement?
Stool (feces) consists primarily of water, intestinal bacteria and undigested food residues. In addition, there are dead cells of the intestinal mucosa, secretions from the digestive glands and putrefaction products. The stool usually takes on a soft to medium-hard consistency.
However, if the stool is firmer and drier than usual, it is referred to as hard stool. This can only be a section such as affect the first centimeter or the entire bowel movement. A particularly serious case is when the chair is made up of small, hard pebbles (sheep droppings). The bowel evacuation can then usually only take place with strong and usually painful pressing. This is accompanied by cracks in the lining of the intestines and the anus.
The person affected perceives this as burning and stabbing pain. Since bowel evacuation can take several hours under certain circumstances, a hard bowel movement as a chronic disease leads to a significant reduction in quality of life. In retrospect, those affected feel exhausted and tired, which can be supplemented by headache and back pain.
causes
Hard stools occur when there is an indigestion. Most of the time, the stool moves slowly through the intestine, which removes a high proportion of water. The hardening can be traced back to various causes. Diet is one of the most important triggers.
Experts have found that an above-average consumption of fat and sugar can have a negative effect on digestion. If this is accompanied by a lack of fiber and low fluid intake, hard bowel movements can be caused. In addition, hard bowel movements can indicate irritable bowel syndrome or colon cancer.
Irritable bowel syndrome is a bowel disease whose causes are not yet fully understood. Other triggers include organic bowel diseases that lead to paralysis of the intestine. These can occur after surgery or if you have inflammation.
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➔ Medicines for constipation and intestinal problemsDiseases with this symptom
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Colon cancer
- Electrolyte disorder
Diagnosis & course
In most cases, hard bowel movements are a harmless complaint. After a change in lifestyle and eating habits, she should step back within a few days.
If a hard bowel movement persists for longer than a week, the family doctor should be consulted. In a comprehensive anamnesis, the doctor will find out about the physical condition and health of the patient. This is followed by the physical examination, during which the intestinal region is palpated. In addition, stomach and intestinal noises are checked and the anus examined.
If a cause cannot be found, the blood values will be examined. This may be accompanied by an analysis of fecal samples. If irritable bowel syndrome or colon cancer is suspected, a colonoscopy (colonoscopy) and then an ultrasound examination (sonography) are carried out.
Complications
The longer the stool remains in the bowel, the more it thickens. As a complication, this in turn leads to the fact that the volume of faeces becomes harder and harder. The harder the person has to press in order to get the stool out of the bowel when using the toilet. The strong pressing can cause fine anal fissures. These are tiny injuries in the area of the anus.
The mucous membrane has suffered small tears from the strong pressure, which can be very painful during the defecation process. Stool is often unconsciously withheld for fear of this pain. However, this only leads to even harder bowel movements and further possible injuries in the anal area.
It is therefore important to use specific medication to keep the stool so soft that, ideally, it can be emptied daily without pressing hard and without pain. This also allows the fissures to heal. However, this will take some time. That is why stool softeners should not be discontinued prematurely.
Another complication of hard stools is what is known as fecal stones. These are extremely solidified stool masses that can no longer be emptied by pressing alone. They then settle in an area of the intestine and continue to solidify. Fecal stones can lead to an intestinal obstruction and must be surgically removed if necessary.
When should you go to the doctor?
Hard bowel movements are uncomfortable but are quite common. Those affected often experience pain during elimination. Some people have to deal with these bowel movements only occasionally, others more often or even regularly. If the whole thing becomes an uncomfortable routine, it is advisable to see a doctor.
Anyone struggling with hard stools daily or weekly should seek help. Some people have probably tried a lot before going to see the doctor. They exercise more, drink water more often, and watch their diet. In other cases these changes are useless. Then there may be other causes behind it that only the doctor can clarify. Some illnesses cause hard stools, but the bowels are otherwise perfectly fine.
The contact persons are the family doctor and the internist. They check the blood values and arrange for a colonoscopy. Depending on the result, the patients receive medication and further treatments. Exercise and a healthy diet are also advised in most cases, because they are not only beneficial for the intestines. Fear of the colonoscopy may prevent some from seeing a doctor. But a delayed cause only makes things worse.
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Treatment & Therapy
If a disease has been ruled out, hard bowel movements can only be avoided by long-term changes in living conditions and eating habits.
It is therefore particularly important to pursue a sport. This could be jogging, swimming or cycling, for example. In addition, a balanced diet should be ensured. An excess of fat and sugar must be avoided, whereas fiber and water should be consumed. In particularly severe cases, a laxative can be used. If, on the other hand, a hard bowel movement is attributed to an illness, appropriate therapy is initiated. In the case of irritable bowel syndrome, complete healing is hardly possible. Instead, treatment is limited to symptom relief.
When diagnosed with cancer, there are several treatment alternatives to choose from, the success of which depends on the stage of the disease. In addition to immunotherapy with antibodies, therapy using overheating (hyperthermia), cold (cryotherapy) and lasers can be used to destroy metastases. In the treatment, hard stool is supplemented by herbal and homeopathic therapeutic approaches. This begins with relaxation measures such as yoga or autogenic training and extends to intestinal cleansing agents. In addition, there are dietary supplements and laxatives that are supposed to support the body with digestion.
Outlook & forecast
With hard stools and constipation, the patient can do most to improve the symptoms. The doctor will usually recommend a number of behavior changes. This includes a healthy diet rich in vitamins and fiber, adequate fluid intake and regular exercise. In most cases, these measures are already sufficient to normalize bowel movements.
In severe cases or in patients for whom behavior adjustment is not possible, laxatives prescribed by the doctor can help. The stool can be kept moist and slippery by means of osmotically effective laxatives that bind water in the intestine. Gas-forming laxatives, such as sodium hydrogen carbonate, release gas in the intestine. This increases the volume of the stool and increases the pressure on the intestinal wall.
When using laxatives, however, the patient must expect unpleasant side effects such as flatulence. In addition, most laxatives get used to them after a certain period of time. The funds then lose their effect and the patient has to switch to other forms of therapy.
If it is not just a case of constipation, but the hard stool is the result of a serious illness, this must first be treated.
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➔ Medicines for constipation and intestinal problemsprevention
Home remedies ↵ for constipation Hard bowel movements are a complaint that can be prevented through various measures. In particular, it is important to avoid stressful situations, to pay attention to a healthy diet and to participate in a sport regularly.
In old age, it is also advisable to carry out colon cancer screening at regular intervals. If an intestinal disease is suspected, a doctor should be consulted promptly. In this way, subsequent symptoms can be avoided and effective treatment can be initiated.
In preventive care, it is also advisable not to disturb the digestive rhythm. This includes regular eating and sleeping times. Suppression of bowel evacuation should also be avoided.
You can do that yourself
A hard bowel movement can be effectively treated by yourself. A tried and tested home remedy is to make tea with buckthorn bark. Those affected use a teaspoon of finely chopped buckthorn bark and pour 250 milliliters of cold water over it. The infusion should steep for about twelve hours, stirring repeatedly. Those affected should drink the tea lukewarm before going to bed.
Flea seeds also counteract hard bowel movements. The mucilage it contains makes flea seeds extremely valuable. After use, stool softening begins after about 12 to 24 hours. There are numerous ready-to-use preparations available that those affected can obtain in any pharmacy. They are available in the form of capsules, granules, or soluble powder. A daily dosage of 10 to 40 grams is recommended.
Flax seeds are also advisable. The broken and ground flax seeds are particularly suitable for this. The contained mucilage and the oil develop their effect quickly. In addition, the diet can be ideally designed with flaxseed. For breakfast, a tablespoon of flaxseed can be added to the muesli or yogurt.
Numerous homemade laxative teas help against hard bowel movements. Ten grams of anise, fennel, senna fruits and liquorice roots are mixed together. Two teaspoons of this must be poured with 250 milliliters of hot water. Affected people should consume a cup of the tea before going to bed.
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