Bowel Control Problems
The inability to control gas or a bowel movement is called anal or fecal incontinence. More than 5.5 million Americans have fecal incontinence. It affects people of all ages–children as well as adults. Incontinence occurs either when you feel the urge to have a bowel movement and are unable to hold it until you can get to a toilet or when stool may leaks from the rectum unexpectedly. For more information on fecal incontinence go to www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/fecalincontinence/Â or www.emedicine.com/med/topic3326.htm
Incontinence Treatment
Physical Therapy involves an evaluation of your pelvic floor muscle strength and bladder/ bowel habits. We will establish a treatment program based on the evaluation findings. You will learn proper habits and techniques to control urgency and/or leakage and gain an understanding of normal bladder and bowel functions.
We will assess your needs for an exercise program or more extensive rehabilitation using equipment to enhance and train better muscles. We use a variety of equipment including biofeedback, vaginal weights, pelvic floor electrical stimulation or pelvic floor educators. It usually takes between 4-10 visits over several months to see changes.