Basic Facts About Constipation Cramps

When people hear about the word constipation, one of the first things that will come to their mind is pain. This is because pain is one of the main symptoms of constipation. But contrary to what most people think, constipation may be one experience to a person and a completely different experience for another. Here are some of the common interpretations of constipation depending on the person.

For most people, constipation is simply the infrequent passage of stool in a given period of time. Let's say that if a person normally eliminates fecal waste every 1 - 4 days, constipation may mean not being able to pass stool for 5 or more days. Another description for constipation is the difficulty to pass stool. This will usually involve straining on the part of the person and will also surmount to feeling a sense of unfinished emptying when the person moves his bowel.

Even though there are only two common experiences of constipation, its causes are varied. One might be completely directed towards the gastrointestinal system of the person and another might be completely off the marker. More often than not, constipation may also alternate diarrhea, especially if you have a healthy case of irritable bowel syndrome.

When constipation reaches its maximum point, it can lead to a fecal impact which is the total occlusion of the lumen of your colon. This prevents solid and liquid waste from passing towards your rectum which is basically the cause of your constipation cramps because the dried up and hard stool that is trapped in your colon will eventually get too big putting much pressure on nerve endings. This causes you much pain.

Another reason why a person experiences cramps when he or she is having constipation is because of the dried up gastric mucosa in the bowels. Since the bowels are already occluded, the congealed stool will continue absorbing all the moisture that is in the surrounding area because it gets drier and drier as time passes. When the gastric mucosa dries up, this will cause ulceration and chaffing which is caused by the friction of the dried stool. This ulceration will be registered as a wound by the brain which causes the brain to send a pain reading to the body as well. Not only will pain be a problem but internal bleeding might be present if the condition is left untreated for a long period of time.

When a person is already experiencing frequent and intense abdominal cramping, it is no longer recommended that he continues the use of over the counter medications like laxatives. This is because these laxatives may no longer suit the needs of the person. The person needs to see a physician right away so that proper action may be taken. Possible indications might turn up as a tumor that has already grown to massive proportions or has already reached a critical stage in the cancer process. It is recommended that if your constipation has been bothering you for over 2 weeks, you should see your doctor immediately and ask for professional advice in regards to the action that you should take.