Many times, individuals don't pay much attention to their bodily functions until something changes significantly enough to interrupt their daily routine. Most us have experienced a time in our lives where the regularity of our bowel habits has diminished (or completely disappeared) creating discomfort, inconvenience or more severe issues such as hemorrhoids. Sometimes, intermittent constipation is a result of poor dietary choices such as a very low fiber diet or decreased fluid intake. The important thing to remember is that when our hydration levels and diet are within a healthy range, the body has everything it needs to work as expected. Anytime the body is not functioning as expected, chiropractors look to the nervous system to determine if the body's master control system has been compromised in anyway.  

Misalignments of the vertebrae in the lower back or pelvis can interfere with the electrical and muscular mechanism through which the body accomplishes defecation. When there is obstruction of the nerves that send messages initiating bowel movements, the body's ability to go about business as usual can be noticeably reduced. This is especially stressful in infants, who are only able to cry as their primary way of letting us know that they are in discomfort due to a bowel movement that they are unable to pass. Unfortunately, many of the treatment options for constipation only focus on softening the stool and do not address the underlying issues that are CAUSING the problem in the first place.

Evaluation by a chiropractor that specializes in evaluation of the nervous system can help detect and correct barriers to proper bowel function. In pediatric patients, diapers will sometimes fill within a few minutes of receiving a gentle chiropractic adjustment to the specific area of misalignment! 

If you or someone you know is having issues with constipation, please pass this information along to them so they can consider chiropractic as a natural approach to managing their irregularity!

Dr. Alex