Choosing products for bladder and bowel control(view report contents)
How your bladder and bowels work
The bladder and bowel are kept in position by a hammock-shaped band of muscles - the pelvic floor muscles. If these lose their tone and begin to sag or become damaged, problems can occur.
How your bladder works
The bladder, a small pear-shaped sac made of muscle, stores urine which has been produced by the kidneys. It normally holds about half a pint (275 ml) before telling the brain it needs emptying. The brain then tells your bladder to hold on until you can get to the lavatory. When you are ready, the bladder muscles contract to squeeze out all the urine, and at the same time the tube (urethra) leading from the bladder relaxes, and the urine flows out. Most people empty their bladder four to eight times in 24 hours, perhaps getting up once during the night.
How your bowel works
The bowel, a muscular tube 10 feet (three metres) long, takes the nourishment from your food and carries the waste (as stools or faeces) to the back passage (rectum). An amount of stool will be stored before messages are sent to the brain to say it needs emptying. Again your brain responds by telling the bowel to hold on. When you are ready, the band of muscles (anal sphincter) around the bowel outlet (anus) relaxes, and the stools are pushed out through the anus. Some people have several bowel movements each day and others only two or three a week. The frequency does not matter as long as the stools are soft, well formed and easy to pass.
Picture of the body
Report contents
About
this report
Incontinence:
what does it mean?
Symptoms,
causes and treatments
Getting
help
Tips
for dealing with smells and stains
Products
and tips on choosing them
Alternatives
to the lavatory
Protecting
beds and chairs
Protecting
yourself
Specialist
products
How
your bladder and bowels work
Helpful
organisations
