Today I want to explain why seniors are at increased risk for developing constipation. Constipation can affect anyone at any age, but as we age, we tend to develop more risk factors that increase our chances for developing or having worsening constipation.
Studies have shown that by the age of sixty, 30% to 40% of the population suffers from chronic constipation. One of the risk factors that may put seniors at increased risk is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. It’s so often true that as we get older, we’re not as active.
We also may be taking medications for other medical conditions that might have constipation as a side effect. Many older people also tend to eat diets that contain less fiber and they may not drink as much water as they did when they were younger. All of those factors can contribute to this problem.
What Is Constipation?
Let’s define constipation. Really, it just means having a bowel movement less frequently than every three days. Everyone’s different, so some people may feel like if they don’t have a bowel movement every day, that’s a problem. But sometimes things change as we age, and it isn’t necessarily a concern unless you’re having difficulty emptying your bowel. If you’re having to strain or it’s difficult to empty your bowel completely, that could be a sign that there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
What Causes Constipation?
There are different underlying reasons for constipation. One factor could be things are moving more slowly through your digestive system. The slower that your food moves, the more water is drawn out as it travels through the large intestine. That can make your stools harder and make them less frequent.
Another factor may be a problem with the pelvic floor muscles at the bottom of the pelvis. Your bowel movement has to pass through those muscles in order to exit your body. If those muscles are not working in proper coordination, you may become constipated.
Sometimes those muscles are not relaxing the way that they should when you want the bowel to empty. That can lead to increased straining and difficulty emptying.
How Aging Contributes to Constipation
Let’s talk about some of the physical factors that can contribute to constipation. One of those factors is that as we age, we often lose some of our core and abdominal strength. Having less support and structure for our abdominal cavity can contribute to decreased motility of our bowels and more difficulty with evacuating them.
Also, sometimes we start to lose mobility through our spine and our hips. Those limitations can make it harder to get into the ideal posture position to help our pelvic floor muscles relax like they should for our bowels to empty properly. That can be a contributing factor.
And then, as I started to mention before, the coordination of those pelvic floor muscles can be a factor. If the muscles are not relaxing fully like they should, we may not be able to empty our bowels as completely or as frequently.
How to Get Help with Constipation
If you’re having any issues with constipation, reach out to me. We can sit down and talk and figure out what’s going on in your specific situation. We can find out if we need to coordinate with your doctor to do any screenings or rule out any underlying medical problems.
At Rebound Physical Therapy, we can definitely work on the physical therapy aspect of your problem by making sure your muscles are doing what they’re supposed to be doing. We can also help you make lifestyle changes that can further improve the situation. Give Rebound a call at 785-271-5533 to schedule a consultation.
