What Is A Bowel Obstruction?
A bowel obstruction-also called an intestinal obstruction-is a partial or complete blockage of the large or small intestine. This blockage interferes with the normal movement of food, fluids, gas, and waste through the digestive tract. A complete blockage is a serious medical condition requiring immediate treatment.
What are the symptoms of bowel obstruction?
Pain or tenderness around or just below the belly button
Stomach cramps that come and go
Swelling or bloating of the stomach
Constipation and the inability to pass gas (sign of complete blockage)
Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
What are the causes of bowel obstruction?
Mechanical obstruction (something physically blocking the intestine)
Build up of scar tissue following abdominal or pelvic surgery (most common cause)
Hernia
Tumor
Impacted waste material (usually a result of chronic constipation)
Volvulus, or twisted intestine (a loop somewhere in the intestines gets abnormally twisted)
Intussusception, or telescoping of the intestine (one part of the intestine folds like a telescope into another nearby part of the intestine)
Bowel obstruction caused by disease or other medical conditions
Cancer of the abdomen or colon (especially after surgery to remove or radiation to destroy a tumor)
Crohns disease
Diverticulitis (inflamed small pouches in the digestive tract)
Inflammatory bowel disease
Paralytic ileus (a temporary condition caused by nerve or muscle problems that affect the normal muscle contractions of the intestines resulting in a slowing or stopping of material moving through the digestive tract)
What are the complications from bowel obstruction?
If left untreated, bowel obstruction-especially a complete blockage-can cause serious, life-threatening complications.
A cutting off of the blood supply to the intestines, causing tissue to die
A tear in the intestinal wall, leading to infection
Peritonitis, a deadly infection of the intestines
How is bowel obstruction diagnosed?
A complete physical exam, including a medical history
Imagining, which might include an X-ray or CT scan of the abdominal region
How is bowel obstruction treated?
Partial blockages often clear up on their own
With laxatives or a low-fiber diet
Noninvasive, hands-on physical therapy procedures, such as the Wurn Technique, that break down scar tissue (the most common cause of bowel obstruction) without surgery
For a complete blockage, major surgery to remove the obstruction and any parts of the intestines that have been damaged or have died.
A bowel obstruction-also called an intestinal obstruction-is a partial or complete blockage of the large or small intestine. This blockage interferes with the normal movement of food, fluids, gas, and waste through the digestive tract. A complete blockage is a serious medical condition requiring immediate treatment.
What are the symptoms of bowel obstruction?
Pain or tenderness around or just below the belly button
Stomach cramps that come and go
Swelling or bloating of the stomach
Constipation and the inability to pass gas (sign of complete blockage)
Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
What are the causes of bowel obstruction?
Mechanical obstruction (something physically blocking the intestine)
Build up of scar tissue following abdominal or pelvic surgery (most common cause)
Hernia
Tumor
Impacted waste material (usually a result of chronic constipation)
Volvulus, or twisted intestine (a loop somewhere in the intestines gets abnormally twisted)
Intussusception, or telescoping of the intestine (one part of the intestine folds like a telescope into another nearby part of the intestine)
Bowel obstruction caused by disease or other medical conditions
Cancer of the abdomen or colon (especially after surgery to remove or radiation to destroy a tumor)
Crohns disease
Diverticulitis (inflamed small pouches in the digestive tract)
Inflammatory bowel disease
Paralytic ileus (a temporary condition caused by nerve or muscle problems that affect the normal muscle contractions of the intestines resulting in a slowing or stopping of material moving through the digestive tract)
What are the complications from bowel obstruction?
If left untreated, bowel obstruction-especially a complete blockage-can cause serious, life-threatening complications.
A cutting off of the blood supply to the intestines, causing tissue to die
A tear in the intestinal wall, leading to infection
Peritonitis, a deadly infection of the intestines
How is bowel obstruction diagnosed?
A complete physical exam, including a medical history
Imagining, which might include an X-ray or CT scan of the abdominal region
How is bowel obstruction treated?
Partial blockages often clear up on their own
With laxatives or a low-fiber diet
Noninvasive, hands-on physical therapy procedures, such as the Wurn Technique, that break down scar tissue (the most common cause of bowel obstruction) without surgery
For a complete blockage, major surgery to remove the obstruction and any parts of the intestines that have been damaged or have died.
A bowel obstruction-also called an intestinal obstruction-is a partial or complete blockage of the large or small intestine. This blockage interferes with the normal movement of food, fluids, gas, and waste through the digestive tract. A complete blockage is a serious medical condition requiring immediate treatment.
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