The digestive system has both upper and lower digestive tracts. The upper digestive tract breaks down the food that you eat into the nutrients that fuel your body.
The digestion of waste begins in the lower tract small intestine and large intestine. In a wave-like action called peristalsis, the waste is moved through the large intestine where water is removed, resulting in the left-over stool.
A bowel movement BM is normally initiated when enough stool collects in the rectum. The urge to empty the bowels intensifies as the rectum fills with stool. When going to the bathroom, the brain then signals the release of the anal sphincter muscle, and muscle action pushes the stool out through the anus. The frequency between each BM normally differs greatly among people. Some people will normally have 1 to 3 movements per day.
Normal frequency for some people can be as few as 3 times a week. Normal consistency of the stool can also vary. Although a normal BM should be easy to pass, some people may have harder or softer stools than others.
Following spinal cord injury SCI , messages from the body are not able to reach the brain like before the injury. When normal bowel function is lost due to an injury to the nervous system spinal nerves , bowel function is commonly referred to as a neurogenic bowel. In general, two types of neurogenic bowel can occur after SCI. The type depends on the level of injury. A reflex bowel is common with injuries above T Upper Motor Neuron injuries. With a reflex bowel, the anal sphincter remains closed.
