Treatment of fecal incontinence

Knowing the causes of fecal incontinence helps to design an individualized treatment plan that will have a better chance of success after proper evaluation.

Incontinence is not a hopeless situation. Proper treatment can help most people and often eliminate the problem.

Depending on the causes of fecal incontinence, treatment may include changes in diet, medication, special exercises to help control bowel movements and strengthen bowel movements, and surgery in appropriate cases.

Changes in diet

Constipation:

• Increased water intake.
• Eat foods rich in fiber.

Diarrhea:

• Increase the intake of foods with high fiber content so that they add matter to the stool, thus reducing the amount of water in them. Fiber supplements.
• Astringent foods such as rice, ripe banana, quince, tea.
• Identify foods that cause liquid stools, such as milk in case of intolerance.
• Avoid coffee, chocolate, alcohol.

Medication

Diarrhea:

• Drugs such as loperamide or opiate derivatives.
• Fiber supplements to reduce the water content in the stool.

Constipation:

• Mild laxatives in case of constipation causing fecal imputation.
• Stool softener drugs.

Bowel training

Gut training programs and targeted therapies to restore muscle strength.

• Exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles.
• Scheduled defecation: learning to go to the bathroom at specific times of the day (for example after meals).
• Biofeedback or biofeedback or bioreversion exercises.
  • Strengthening the sphincter muscles and rectum by consciously controlling their contraction. This is done through the help of sensors in the area to be contracted.

Treatment of compacted stool

• Laxatives
• Cleansing enemas.
• Manual decompaction of fecalomas in case of failure of laxatives and enemas.

Sacral nerve stimulation

• Electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves that control the sphincter apparatus and rectum. Used in cases of peripheral neurological origin (spinal cord injuries, for example).

Surgery

• Sphincteroplasty: Surgery that seeks to repair a damaged or weakened anal sphincter.
• Operations to treat rectal prolapse or hemorrhoids.
• Sphincter replacement using an inflatable support around the damaged or weakened sphincter.
• Colostomy, as a last resort.

Palliative measures in cases that do not respond to treatment or that cannot collaborate

• Use of absorbent diapers.
• Extreme skin care: barrier creams, extreme hygiene.
• Assists in transfers to the bathroom when there is a need to defecate.