Fecal incontinence can result from weakness or damage of the anal sphincter muscles, nerve injury, bowel conditions causing urgency or diarrhea, or pelvic floor disorders. It significantly affects quality of life but is often underreported. Treatments range from dietary and medication strategies to pelvic floor therapy and advanced options such as sacral nerve stimulation.
People may experience stool leakage with urgency, during activity, or without awareness; symptoms may be intermittent or constant.
Call the office if you experience recurrent stool leakage, especially if it affects daily activities, starts after childbirth or surgery, or is associated with bowel habit changes. Early evaluation can open up more treatment options.
Seek emergency care if fecal incontinence occurs suddenly with severe back pain, leg weakness, or loss of bladder control (possible spinal cord issue), or if there is profuse bleeding or severe abdominal pain.
Evaluation includes a detailed history, physical and rectal exam, assessment of stool consistency, and sometimes specialized tests (anal manometry, imaging, endoanal ultrasound) to identify contributing factors.
Management combines treating stool consistency issues (constipation or diarrhea), pelvic floor rehabilitation, and in some cases surgery or sacral neuromodulation to improve control.
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