Sphincter exercises for people with bowel control problems
Sphincter Exercises can help you to improve your bowel control. When done correctly, these exercises can build up and strengthen the muscles to help you hold both gas and stool in the back passage and once again give support. Like any other muscles in the body, the more you use and exercise them, the stronger they will be.
Learning to do the exercises
It is important to learn to do exercises in the right way and to check from time to time that you are still doing them correctly. Sit comfortably with your knees slightly apart. Now imagine that you are trying to stop yourself passing wind from the bowel. To do this you must squeeze the muscles around the back passage. Try squeezing and lifting that muscle as tightly as you can, as if you are really worried that you are about to leak. You should be able to feel the muscle move. Your buttocks, tummy and legs should not move at all. You should be aware of the skin around the back passage tightening and being pulled up and away from your chair. Really try to feel this. You are now exercising your anal sphincter. You should not need to hold your breath when you tighten the muscles. Now imagine that the sphincter muscle is a lift. When you squeeze as tightly as you can, your lift goes up to the fourth floor. But you cannot hold it there for very long, and it will not get you safely to the toilet as it will get tired very quickly. So now squeeze more gently, take your lift only up to the second floor. Fell how much longer you can hold it than at maximum squeeze.
Practising your exercising
Sit, stand or lie with your knees slightly apart. Tighten and pull up the sphincter muscles as tightly as you can. Hold tightened for at least five seconds, then relax for at least ten seconds. Next, pull the muscles up to about half of their maximum squeeze. See how long you can hold this for. Then relax for at least ten seconds. Repeat at least five times. This will work on the endurance or staying power of your muscles. Pull up the muscles as quickly and tightly as you can and then relax and then pull up again and see how many times you can do this before you get tired. Try for at least five quick pull ups.
Do these exercises
Five as hard as you can, five as long as you can and as many quick pull-ups as you can, at least ten times every day.
As the muscles get stronger, you will find that you can hold for longer than five seconds and that you can do more pull-ups each time without the muscle getting tired. It takes time for exercises to make muscle. You may need to exercise regularly for several months before the muscle improves.