Bowel & anorectal health
Bowel & anorectal physiotherapy
Advanced physiotherapy for constipation, difficulty emptying, bowel leakage and anorectal pain — including biofeedback with a board-certified provider.
Bowel & anorectal health
Advanced physiotherapy for bowel & anorectal conditions
Constipation, difficulty emptying, urgency, leakage and anorectal pain can have a real impact on daily life. We provide specialized anorectal and pelvic health physical therapy grounded in the relationship between the bowel, pelvic floor, nervous system, breathing, abdominal pressure and defecation mechanics. We often work alongside colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists, urogynecologists and urologists — complementing your medical care with practical strategies to improve bowel function and quality of life.
Board-certified pelvic floor biofeedback
Our practice includes a provider who is Pelvic Floor Biofeedback Board Certified through BCIA and offers dual-channel EMG biofeedback for pelvic floor dysfunction — one of roughly 120 board-certified providers (PT, OT, MD, or NP) in the United States.
How anorectal physiotherapy helps
Having a bowel movement is a coordinated process. When the pelvic floor doesn't relax or coordinate properly, it can be hard to empty, lead to straining and constipation, or create a sensation that something is “blocked.” Your individualized treatment may include:- Education on bowel and pelvic floor anatomy
- Understanding normal defecation mechanics
- Optimizing toileting position
- Improving defecation dynamics
- Pelvic floor assessment
- Pelvic floor relaxation and coordination training
- Pelvic floor strengthening when appropriate
- Biofeedback therapy for dyssynergic defecation
- Bowel habit and stool-consistency education
- Dietary and fluid strategies with your medical team
- Abdominal and colonic massage where appropriate
- Breathing and pressure-management strategies
- Nervous-system regulation and relaxation techniques
- Strategies to reduce excessive straining
- Individualized home programs
Learning to empty the bowel effectively
Effective emptying requires the pelvic floor to relax and coordinate with the abdominal and rectal muscles. For some people, those muscles tighten instead of relaxing — contributing to dyssynergic defecation, obstructed defecation and chronic constipation. Rather than simply “pushing harder,” we teach practical strategies for toileting position, breathing, abdominal pressure, pelvic floor relaxation and coordination, timing and technique. Using biofeedback, we can help you see what your pelvic floor muscles are doing and learn to coordinate them during simulated defecation.
What we treat
Bowel & anorectal conditions
Constipation & difficulty emptying
Not always about stool consistency — coordination matters too.
- Chronic and functional constipation
- Difficulty passing stool
- Incomplete bowel emptying
- Straining and feeling “blocked”
- Hard or infrequent stools
- Obstructed / outlet constipation
- Dyssynergic defecation
- Pelvic floor dysfunction contributing to constipation
Bowel leakage & fecal incontinence
Distressing, but very treatable.
- Fecal incontinence and accidental bowel leakage
- Stool leakage and fecal urgency
- Difficulty delaying a bowel movement
- Gas incontinence and difficulty controlling gas
- Bowel leakage following childbirth
- Bowel control problems after pelvic or colorectal surgery
- Pelvic floor weakness contributing to bowel control problems
Rectal prolapse & obstructed defecation
Physiotherapy alongside your medical or surgical care.
- Rectal prolapse and rectocele
- Obstructed defecation
- Difficulty emptying the rectum
- Sensation of incomplete evacuation
- Excessive straining
- Pelvic floor dysfunction associated with prolapse
Hemorrhoids & anal fissures
Often linked to constipation, straining and pelvic floor dysfunction.
- Hemorrhoids
- Anal fissures
- Symptoms associated with straining and altered bowel habits
Ready to get help?
Book a bowel & anorectal assessment, or reach out with any question.