Understanding the Link Between Constipation and Bladder Health

If you struggle with bladder issues, you’ve probably at some point thought that you need to work on strengthening your muscles to improve this.

While strength can be a consideration, I want to draw your attention to a common contributor to those ongoing sneaky leaks: constipation 💩.

You might be thinking, wait huh, what does poop have to do with your bladder? And if you missed it, check out my video from this week discussing this issue (click here)

Research suggests that constipation can significantly impact bladder function, leading to increased urinary urgency and even incontinence.

Here’s why 👉 When the rectum is full of stool, it can put pressure on the bladder, causing it to have less space for the bladder to expand with urine. This can result in sudden urges to urinate or difficulty controlling bladder function with premature bladder contractions.

Moreover, chronic constipation through straining can weaken the pelvic floor muscles over time by putting downward pressure on the muscles. These muscles play a crucial role in supporting the bladder and maintaining urinary control. When they become weakened, it can exacerbate bladder-related symptoms such as urinary incontinence.

So you might be thinking, “okay this makes sense, my pelvic floor must be weak from my chronic constipation, so I need to strengthen those muscles, right?”

Not so fast- while ultimately those muscles can benefit from strengthening, their immediate need is to be lengthened and relaxed to decrease tension.

Pelvic floor tension is related to constipation as the muscles surround the rectum impacting its ability to release for a bowel movement. Too much tension makes it difficult to relax the pelvic floor muscles and therefore makes a complete bowel movement difficult too. So the last thing you want to do is focus only on strengthening, making this issue worse!

Addressing constipation is therefore essential not only for gastrointestinal health but also for overall bladder function. Adopt a high-fiber diet, stay hydrated, and engage in regular physical activity can help alleviate constipation and improve bladder health.

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Cheering you on ♥️
- Caroline Packard, DPT