How Constipation Happens - Constipation: Digestive Disorders
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
How constipation happens
The hard, dry stool that defines constipation develops when the colon absorbs too much water. This may happen because the muscle contractions of the colon are too slow, so the stool moves along sluggishly. Or it can occur when the anal sphincter fails to relax when it should, causing stool to be stored in the rectum. Constipation can also occur when you consciously slow the movement of stool through the colon to hold back a bowel movement. If you routinely override the urge to defecate by consciously constricting the external sphincter muscles that surround the anus, your reflex to defecate may be blunted, and accumulated stool may harden as a result, becoming even more difficult to pass.
Eventually, the colon tries to move the stool by squeezing down to try and push it. This causes an uncomfortable pressure and cramping. If the stool is not eliminated, more hard stool accumulates. When the stool finally passes, it can cause extreme discomfort.
| Last updated: | August 21, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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