What to Do, Causes, Getting Help

A stool that gets stuck halfway out can be a sign of constipation or fecal impaction. Walking around, drinking water, or taking a laxative can often help you pass a hard stool. But some signs can point to a medical emergency.

Squirming to pass a stool is anything but pleasant. You feel the urge to go, yet nothing comes. Or the poop makes its way to the opening of your anus, but gets stuck halfway out.

This happens to a lot of people. It’s even common in babies as they switch from a liquid diet to solid foods.

Impacted stool can cause poop to get stuck. But having your poop stuck halfway out doesn’t always point to impaction. Every day constipation is another possible culprit.

Poop stuck halfway out your anal canal is an awkward feeling, but it isn’t necessarily an emergency. Some causes might require medical treatment, while others will resolve with home remedies.

Common causes of your poop stuck halfway out include:

Constipation

Constipation refers to passing fewer than three bowel movements a week or having difficulty fully passing stool. Symptoms include:

• hard, dry stools
• straining
• feeling that you haven’t emptied your rectum fully

Constipation can be chronic or infrequent, but is typically not a medical emergency. The only exception is when a blockage causes constipation, leading to impaction. This might include an intestinal blockage caused by:

• colon cancer
• rectal cancer
• another condition affecting your digestive tract

Since constipation causes stools to move at a slower pace, poop can get stuck halfway out.

Impacted stool

Impacted stool can also cause poop to get stuck. Also known as fecal impaction, this condition causes dry, hard stools too. It often results from prolonged constipation, which blocks stools in your rectum.

Impacted stool is a more serious condition. In fact, although extremely rare, it can be life threatening if left untreated and lead to a colon obstruction. Other signs of fecal impaction include:

• abdominal pain
• bloating
• diarrhea
• thin and bloody stools

Other medical conditions

Keep in mind that some gastrointestinal conditions have constipation as a symptom. If left untreated, these can also lead to impacted stool. Impaction might occur if you have:

• irritable bowel syndrome
• Hirschsprung’s disease
• Parkison’s disease
• inflammatory bowel conditions
• hypothyroidism
• nerve injury

Lifestyle and diet

Lifestyle habits can contribute to poop getting stuck halfway out. Some dietary and daily habits can cause constipation, such as a sedentary lifestyle and eating a low fiber diet.

Not drinking enough water also causes stools to become dry and hard, potentially causing poop to get stuck halfway out.

You can blame this discomfort on shifting hormones during pregnancy. An increase in the hormone progesterone relaxes your body’s muscles, causing stools to move slower through your intestinal tract.

The increase in progesterone often leads to constipation in pregnancy, causing poop to become stuck. Other causes also include:

• being less active while pregnant
• not drinking enough water
• eating too little fiber

During the first several months of life, a baby eats a liquid diet before transitioning to solid foods.

Sometimes, the transition from liquid to solids is a shock to their systems. And as a result, their poop becomes hard and dry until they adjust.

Home remedies and medical treatment can relieve poop that’s stuck halfway out. Possible solutions include:

Home remedies

Oftentimes, the condition is dry, hard stools, and not a medical emergency. Start by increasing your fiber intake, which makes it easier to pass tools. This includes eating more:

• fruits
• vegetables
• whole grains

You can also increase your water intake to keep stools soft, as well as increase physical activity. Exercise stimulates intestinal movement, making it easier to pass stools.

Over-the-counter medications

If you experience constipation, it might take a few days for home remedies to take effect. But the following over-the-counter medications (OTC) may relieve symptoms:

• suppositories
• enemas
• laxatives or stool softeners

Use laxatives as directed by your doctor, and for no more than 2 weeks. Overuse can worsen constipation.

Medical treatment and prescription medications

For chronic constipation, talk with a doctor about prescription drugs to regulate bowel activity. If you have an underlying gastrointestinal condition, treating it can help relieve constipation.

If prolonged constipation causes fecal impaction, a doctor may prescribe or recommend a suppository or enema to soften any stool present in your rectum.

Your doctor might even recommend a colonoscopy to look for possible blockages in your colon. If that’s the case, you might need surgery to remove the blockage.

If you have poop that’s stuck halfway out, avoid worsening the situation. Here’s what not to do:

Digging the stool out with your fingers

When your stool is stuck halfway out, manually removing it from your rectum might seem like a simple solution. But don’t insert your finger in the rectum.

Digging out the stool can damage the soft tissue at the opening of your anus, resulting in anal tears and bleeding. Only a doctor should manually remove poop from the rectum.

Forcing it out

You might feel the urge to strain and force the stool out. However, straining to empty your rectum can cause other conditions like hemorrhoids and anal fissures. These can cause bleeding and rectal pain.

If you have poop stuck halfway out, be patient. Start with home remedies like:

• moving around
• drinking water
• taking OTC suppositories or enemas
• increasing your fiber

For constipation, you can also take a laxative or stool softener.

Poop stuck halfway out isn’t usually a medical emergency. But it may be an emergency in the case of a severe fecal impaction.

Medical emergency

If waste can’t leave your body, you may develop:

• severe abdominal pain
• vomiting
• headache
• rapid heart rate
• dehydration
• fever
• confusion

Call 911 and go to the nearest emergency room if you develop any of these symptoms.

Poop stuck halfway out due to constipation is mostly uncomfortable and there’s a low risk of complications. In the case of fecal impaction, possible complications include:

• bowel ulceration
• hemorrhoids
• peritonitis (infection of your gastrointestinal system)
• low blood pressure
• loss of consciousness
• chills
• dizziness
• rapid heart rate

Here’s a look at several ways to prevent poop from getting stuck halfway out.

Constipation

To prevent constipation, increase your intake of fiber-rich foods. These include:

• fruits
• vegetables
• whole grains

You can also increase your fiber by taking a supplement.

Other ways to prevent constipation include increasing your fluid intake and being physically active on a regular basis.

Impacted stool

Impacted stool occurs after prolonged constipation or a blockage in your rectum. Take steps to keep bowel activity regular and avoid impaction. Call a doctor if your constipation does not improve.

A doctor can also determine whether you have an underlying health condition that causes constipation or a blockage. Treating the underlying condition helps restore bowel activity.

Having poop stuck halfway out can feel uncomfortable and embarrassing to talk about. But this condition happens to many people.

Oftentimes, poop that’s stuck is a simple fix. If it’s due to stool impaction, though, connect with a doctor to avoid serious complications.

Read this article in Spanish.

Hard Stool: Causes, Treatment, and Prevention

While hard bowel movements happen to everyone from time to time, they can also be a symptom of an underlying medical condition.

In a perfect world, your stool would be soft and easy to pass every time you need to have a bowel movement. However, it’s likely that from time to time you may have hard bowel movements.

These are more difficult to pass than soft bowel movements and can range from difficult to pass to altogether painful. Doctors may call hard stools constipation.

Examples of conditions that cause hard bowel movements include diverticular disease, intestinal obstructions, or hypothyroidism. If you have hard stools, there are ways you can make your stools easier to pass at home.

You can have hard stools for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, a combination of factors is to blame. Typically, a person’s stool is made from waste products and undigested food material that combines with water to be eliminated via the intestines.

This also requires motility, or gastrointestinal movement, to help stool move along the digestive tract for elimination.

A problem with any or several of these digestive processes can cause hard stool.

Medication-related causes

Sometimes hard stool is due to something you did (or didn’t) eat as well as medications you take. Examples include:

• aluminum- and calcium-containing antacids
• anticholinergics
• anticonvulsants to prevent seizures
• antispasmodics
• calcium channel blockers
• diuretics
• iron supplements
• medications used to treat depression
• medications used to treat Parkinson’s disease
• narcotic pain medicines

Diet- and lifestyle-related causes

Diet-related causes of hard stools include dehydration (not drinking enough water) and a low-fiber diet. Some potential lifestyle-related causes of hard stool include:

• changes to one’s diet
• changing medications
• not engaging in regular physical activity
• traveling

If a person frequently ignores the urge to have a bowel movement, this can cause stool to become harder to pass. This is because holding back bowel movements can make changes to the brain that affect the future urge to have a bowel movement.

Your stool can build up inside the digestive tract and become harder to pass.

Medical causes

Sometimes, an underlying medical condition can cause hard stools. Examples of these conditions include:

• aging
• anatomic problems with the digestive tract
• brain injuries
• celiac disease
• diverticulitis
• hormone-related conditions, such as hypothyroidism
• intestinal obstructions
• intestinal tumors
• Parkinson’s disease
• pregnancy
• proctitis, an inflammation of the prostate gland
• spinal cord injuries

Some of these conditions, such as an intestinal obstruction, can be a medical emergency. Because stool can’t get out, a person can experience life-threatening complications if the bowel leaks into the intestinal lining.

Hard stool with blood

If your stool is especially hard to pass, it’s not uncommon to see some streaking of blood present in the stool. Hard stool can create irritation and micro-tears in the intestinal lining that cause bleeding. Also, you can experience bleeding from somewhere in the gastrointestinal tract that may mean you see blood in your stool.

If the blood is more than streaking or continues beyond a day, see a doctor to make sure the blood-streaked stool isn’t a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Hard Black stool

Sometimes hard stool may appear black and tarry. This could indicate the presence of bleeding in a higher area of the digestive tract, such as the stomach or esophagus. Some medications you take, such as iron supplements, can also cause dark stools.

The most serious symptoms of hard stool are rectal bleeding or blood in your stool. These can require emergency medical attention if a person continues bleeding.

Other hard stool symptoms include:

• abdominal pain
• difficulty passing gas
• pain passing stools
• straining when passing stools

Many of these symptoms can make you afraid to pass any other stools. This fear can worsen constipation.

Hard stools can build up in the digestive tract, causing damage to its lining. Complications from hard stool can include:

• anal fissures
• fecal impaction
• hemorrhoids
• intestinal blockage
• rectal prolapse

Preventing these from occurring by keeping stool as soft as possible can help.

If you don’t have blood in your stool or severe pain, you may want to start with trying to soften your stool at home.

Home remedies

Examples of home remedies to soften stools include:

• Abdominal massage. Sometimes a stomach massage can help stimulate the bowels if they’re not moving enough to help stool digest more quickly. Rubbing the stomach in a circular motion can help.
• Drink more water. Increasing water in the digestive tract can make stool softer and easier to pass. A good sign that you’re drinking enough water is if your urine is pale yellow in color.
• Eat more fiber. Fiber can add bulk to the stool, which can stimulate the bowels and help move stool through the digestive tract. However, adding too much fiber at once can have the opposite effect and cause bloating and abdominal discomfort. Examples of excellent fiber sources include whole-wheat bread, black beans, berries or apples with the skins on, carrots, green peas, broccoli, almonds, and peanuts.
• Avoid empty-calorie, low-fiber foods. Many low-fiber foods don’t add a lot of nutritional value to your diet. Avoid fast food, processed foods, and chips.
• Exercise. Physical activity can have a bowel-stimulating effect on the body.

Hard poop medical treatment

Examples of medications a doctor may prescribe or recommend include:

• Bulk-forming agents. Examples include Citrucel or FiberCon. These medications help to add bulk to stool, making it easier to pass.
• Osmotic agents. Examples include MiraLAX. These medications attract water to the stool, making it easier to pass.
• Stool softeners.Examples include docusate sodium (Colace). This helps to soften hard stool so it isn’t so hard to pass.

Ideally, these methods are a short-term solution. If your hard stool causes significant medical problems, such as an intestinal blockage or rectal prolapse, you may require surgery. That is usually a last attempt to correct an underlying problem.

See a doctor if you haven’t had a bowel movement in four days. You may need to seek emergency medical attention if you see blood in your stool that seems to be increasing in amount.

Otherwise, you should seek medical help if your hard stools are bothering you. If you’re having symptoms like bloating, pain, and discomfort, talking to a doctor can help.

Hard poop can be a symptom of lifestyle factors, medications taken, or an underlying medical condition. There are several different approaches to treatment that can make stool easier to pass.

Starting these sooner rather than later can help prevent serious medical problems, such as a bowel obstruction.

Violation of the stool | Doctor KIT

09/18/2018

Problems with stool disorders

Stool disorders, as a rule, are a signal of pathological processes in the large or small intestine. The exact cause is established by the accompanying symptoms, analysis of the diet, water consumption. Not only intestinal diseases can provoke constipation or diarrhea, but also stress, climate change, or cuisine. Digestive disorders are a side effect of taking medications.

Irritable bowel syndrome

This is a characteristic set of symptoms, the cause is often not related to the work of the gastrointestinal tract. With irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the digestive tract is disturbed. According to WHO statistics, this is one of the most common causes of stool disorders. At the same time, the patient complains of a whole range of symptoms:

• Flatulence, which increases during the day, is especially noticeable after eating.
• Pain in the lower abdomen. Sensations differ in character from dull and pulling to cutting. After going to the toilet, the discomfort decreases.
• Morning diarrhea.
• Constipation, irregular stool.
• Mucus with stool, no pus or blood.

Symptoms are accompanied by belching, bitterness in the mouth, and sometimes vomiting. Symptoms of an intestinal disorder are accompanied by anxiety, fatigue and mood swings. Individually, each complaint does not cause concern, but their totality gives a very characteristic picture. At the same time, there are no serious changes in the intestines that can be detected using diagnostics. Forms of IBS differ in nature. With the same disease, patients complain of constipation, diarrhea, or a mixed form.

The main cause of the problem is stressful situations. Gastrointestinal disorders may be the result of psychological trauma or chronic fatigue. Personal characteristics also influence the development of the disease, such as high anxiety.

There is a genetic predisposition to the appearance of the syndrome. The likelihood of encountering a problem increases if among family members there is already a patient with such a syndrome, patients with a stomach ulcer or Crohn’s disease.

IBS can develop as a complication after an acute intestinal infection, salmonellosis, dysentery or cholera. This category also includes food poisoning or uncontrolled medication. The work of the gastrointestinal tract is disturbed after a course of antibiotics or improper use of laxatives or painkillers.

Stool disorders are a common consequence of malnutrition: undernutrition or overeating, snacking on the run, etc. Disturbances in the work of the intestines provoke a sedentary lifestyle.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common but not the only cause of stool problems. Often constipation or diarrhea is a sign of pathological changes in the body.

What problems cause constipation? Accompanied by belching and nausea. There is discomfort during physical exertion, especially when jumping or running. The pain intensifies after eating, may radiate to the heart.

Fecal retention is a non-specific sign of gastric ulcer. At the same time, the patient complains of pain in the upper abdomen, which are clearly associated with meals, have a clear periodicity and seasonality of exacerbations. Symptoms are worse in spring and autumn. Also, with an ulcer after eating, heartburn appears, a painful feeling of hunger is observed.

The symptom also manifests itself in gastroduodenitis – inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum. Constipation is accompanied by a feeling of heaviness, an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth. Attacks of pain appear in the upper abdomen, “hungry pains” that disappear after a snack may disturb.

Alimentary constipation occurs with a diet rich in easily digestible foods low in fiber. Constipation affects people who adhere to strict diets for a long time for medical reasons or in order to lose weight.

Weakness of the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall can aggravate constipation. Especially with a decrease in appetite, when the volume of fecal masses decreases, it cannot irritate the large intestine with the necessary force.

Causes of diarrhea

Diarrhea is one of the symptoms of intestinal infections and chronic gastrointestinal diseases. So the cause of diarrhea can be acute gastritis, especially its bacterial form.

Loose stools are one of the signs of gastric achilia, when enzymes and hydrochloric acid are not produced in the stomach. This condition of the stomach occurs with inflammatory diseases of the stomach, gallbladder, liver and intestines. Achilia occurs with the growth of neoplasms. That is, persistent diarrhea may indicate developing gastrointestinal cancer. It also often develops with appendicitis, polyps.

There are also less critical causes:

• “Traveler’s diarrhea” due to climate and diet changes.
• Lack of vitamins, in particular B2.
• Stress and nervous strain.
• Side effects of drugs.
• Alcohol abuse.

Acute diarrhea begins with bacterial and viral intestinal infections.

Seek immediate medical attention if you have associated symptoms such as high fever, severe vomiting and severe abdominal pain. If the drugs for indigestion do not help within three days. If there is blood or mucus in the discharge.

Stool disorders – non-specific symptom. That is, it can manifest itself in a whole group of diseases. Therefore, at the first sign of malaise, you need to consult a doctor. You need to understand that timely diagnosis and treatment will not only prevent the development of complications, but also quickly return the quality of life to its previous level. This is especially true for such a delicate problem as digestive disorders.

Our clinic is equipped with modern diagnostic equipment that allows us to accurately diagnose the problem. Qualified doctors will select an individual course of treatment that will quickly get rid of unpleasant symptoms and their causes.

Sign up for a consultation with a specialist by phone

8 (8652) 99-88-55

or on the website of the Clinic of Innovative Technologies

How many days can constipation last and what to do

How many days of stool retention in adults can be considered constipation?

How many days of stool retention in adults can be considered constipation?

Constipation is a violation of the function of bowel movement, in which the intervals between acts of defecation increase to 3 days or more, and there is also significant physical discomfort in the process of bowel movement ^{1, 3} .

There is no unambiguous answer to the question of how many days of stool retention in an adult can be considered constipation, and cannot be. The normal rhythm of bowel movements for a person can be determined by the nature of nutrition and other individual characteristics. The use of a large amount of food containing coarse vegetable fiber, while limiting protein products, may be accompanied by two to three bowel movements per day ⁵ .

On a mixed diet, daily stools in the morning are normal. In those whose diet is dominated by refined foods, the frequency of bowel movements (up to 3 per week) and the volume of feces are simultaneously reduced. Stool frequency is not a cause for concern as long as bowel movements are not accompanied by discomfort ⁵ .

On a mixed diet, daily stools in the morning are normal. In those whose diet is dominated by refined foods, the frequency of bowel movements (up to 3 per week) and the volume of feces are simultaneously reduced. Stool frequency is not a cause for concern as long as bowel movements are not accompanied by discomfort ⁵ .

Main causes and symptoms
Main causes and symptoms

In healthy adults, stool retention can be provoked ^{1, 5} :

psychogenic causes
anxiety and depression

medications

physical inactivity

9000 2

reduction in the proportion of foods containing coarse vegetable fiber in the diet

The main symptom of constipation is the absence of voluntary defecation
for several days. Constipation is also considered to be the need to push with the urge to defecate with soft feces, the appearance of hard fragmented stools, a significant increase in the diameter and density of the fecal cylinder, which, when separated, injures the mucous membrane of the rectum and anus, a feeling of incomplete emptying of the intestine ⁵ . It is not uncommon for a person to have to help himself manually by pressing his hand
on the area of ​​the pelvic floor, removing stool with a finger ⁴ .

No matter how long constipation lasts in an adult, the absence of stool and discomfort during defecation may not be considered by the patient as a sufficient reason to visit a doctor
, although in fact this is not the case ^{1, 3} . It is often not customary to talk about the problem of constipation in general, and it happens that the Internet becomes the only “consultant” for the patient.

No matter how long constipation lasts in an adult, the absence of stool and discomfort during defecation may not be considered by the patient as a sufficient reason to visit a doctor
, although in fact this is not the case ^{1, 3} . It is often not customary to talk about the problem of constipation in general, and it happens that the Internet becomes the only “consultant” for the patient.

What to do with stool retention?
What to do with stool retention?

Consider the course of action in cases where constipation lasts for several days in a healthy adult.

The first and most important thing to do is to remember how often bowel movements are normal and how much your own feelings have changed when trying to go to the toilet. It is worth talking about constipation
in cases where the deviation from the individual norm is
48 hours or more, and there are also characteristic symptoms (hard stools, pain during bowel movements, the need to push, etc.) ^{1, 4, 5} .

If problems with a chair have arisen for the first time, it is necessary, if possible, to determine the cause of the delay in the chair. If there have already been difficulties with defecation, it is better to contact a specialized gastroenterologist and undergo the necessary examination. Treatment of constipation should be comprehensive. In addition to taking laxatives, it includes recommendations for lifestyle and dietary changes ^{1, 3-5} .

Danger of stool retention
Danger of stool retention

Stretching of the smooth muscle fibers of the intestinal wall by accumulating fecal masses, including suppression of the urge to defecate, can contribute to constipation ⁸ .

Constipation is not just stool retention
Constipation is not just stool retention

Constipation has a significant negative impact on the patient’s quality of life ^{1, 3} .

Constipation leads to unpleasant symptoms not directly related to the act of defecation, such as lethargy, feeling of heaviness and fullness in the abdomen, decreased mood ⁶ .

Constipation fixes patients’ attention on bowel function: they begin to pay too much attention to the quantity and quality of stools ⁶ .

Long-term constipation management

Recurring bowel problems are cause for concern and action. To do this, first of all, you need to contact a doctor who will determine the cause of constipation and give the necessary recommendations, including on lifestyle modification and nutrition correction ^{1, 4, 5} :

In addition to lifestyle advice, your doctor may also prescribe laxatives ^{1, 4, 5} .

increase the amount of foods containing coarse vegetable fiber in the diet: vegetables, fruits, bran;

drink at least 2 liters of fluid per day;

increase physical activity.

One of the laxatives is Guttalax®

⁹ .

Its active ingredient, sodium picosulfate, has a dual mechanism of action: it not only promotes colon peristalsis, but also helps soften stools ⁹ . In addition, Guttalax® is available in drops, which allows you to individually select the appropriate dose of laxative ⁹ . It is also worth noting that Guttalax® is not only not addictive when taken in recommended doses, but also does not require a course of administration – it can be used once as needed, exactly when there is such a need ⁹ . With prolonged constipation, it is imperative to consult a doctor who will determine the cause of constipation and give recommendations, and not resort to self-medication.