Constipation or irregularity is a common problem and everyone will experience it at some stage. Constipation is when a person experiences hard faeces that are difficult to eliminate. This can be extremely painful at times and in severe cases of faecal impaction, can lead to the symptoms of bowel obstruction.

There are many causes of constipation that can affect people of any age. These may be dietary, hormonal, side effects of medication or physiological. In most cases of constipation the stool is hard and difficult to void.

Commonly there is an irregular urge to go the toilet. Straining to pass the stool can lead to haemorrhoids and anal fissures. In the latter stages of severe constipation the abdomen may become tender and distended.

Many readers may be asking what the correct frequency is. Should it be every day or is twice a week all right? Medical authorities accept wide variations in normal. Some people need to go once a day whilst others may only once to three times a week.

The number of visits to the loo depends on diet, exercise, fluid intake and other factors. Diets low in fluids and dietary fibre are common for patients with constipation. In the elderly, constipation is often due to poor mobility or ambulation.

In patients taking anti-depressants or opiates constipation is often an unwanted side effect. Rarely, hypothyroidism could be a cause.

Luckily, there are several ways to treat constipation and these depend on the cause. If the problem is due mainly to poor dietary habits, this can be greatly assisted by increasing the fluid intake. In addition, eating more fibre in the form of fruit, wholemeal bread and vegetables can improve bowel frequency.

High-fibre cereals are a good help while another good addition to the diet is a daily spoonful of linseeds together with dried fruits such as apricots and figs.

There are preparations available from doctors that work by drawing more fluid into the bowel making the stool softer but hey do not necessarily help with frequency of the bowel movements.

The case detailed below involves a gorgeous outgoing girl, almost four years old, who shall be known as Miss D. Her mother reported that it was not uncommon for it to be ten days between bowel movements. This was a painful and stressful experience when it occured.

This resulted in a vicious cycle, as whenever Miss D felt the need to go she would often hold it or ignore the signal to go. This had started around the time of the transition from potty to toilet. For some reason, the toilet had become an issue and so the cycle began.

Miss D had been prescribed a common laxative preparation by her GP and was also taking a dose of syrup of figs. This was helping but her mother recognised that a more long-term solution was needed. On observation, Miss D had shadows below her eyes and a pale complexion. Biomechanical evaluation revealed restrictions in the left sacroiliac and lower lumbar spine.

The nerve supply to the bowel comes from these areas and if there are restrictions in the joints, the nerve outflow can be decreased resulting in poor bowel motility and constipation.

Gentle manipulative treatment to improve the movement of these key joints gave almost immediate results with an improvement in frequency and decreased pain. Gradually the laxatives have been dropped and the frequency of bowel movements is currently every three or four days currently.

This is not an uncommon frequency for the females in the house and is therefore indicative of a slightly less frequent rate, which may be perfectly normal for these individuals. Following two weeks of treatment there was a noticeable improvement in the colour of Miss D's skin and the dark shadows under her eyes. Treatment is ongoing for Miss D as the pattern of constipation and painful bowel movements was well established when treatment commenced, but the prognosis is good.

The golden rule is "Go when you've godda go!" Don't hold it or ignore the signals to go. Chronic constipation can be associated with some forms of bowel cancer owing to the prolonged contact of the faeces with the bowel lining.

One of the reasons bowel cancer is detected late in some individuals is purely because people are embarrassed to discuss this subject. If you have any concerns you can be sure your GP will have probably dealt with cases already that day.

For further information please email me on ilkleychiropractic@tiscali.co.uk or call Ilkley Chiropractic Clinic on 605060.