How to improve your bowel symptoms

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretch like a hammock from the pubic bone at the front, to the coccyx (tailbone) at the back and from one side of the pelvis to the other. They help control your bowel and are important to help you pass bowel movements too. The pelvic floor muscles are like any muscles in the body and should be kept strong and active. NHS Tayside have information leaflets on Pelvic Floor Exercises for Women and Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men.

Pelvic floor exercises need done regularly - usually this means 3 times per day. It can be challenging to remember to do pelvic floor exercises regularly so you might find using an App on your phone helpful Squeezy NHS is a really good option and only costs a few pounds.

For good bowel function it is useful to know what is your normal stool (poo) type on the Bristol Stool Chart. It is usually ideal to have a formed stool like Type 3 or 4 on the chart. If your stools are too hard this can lead to constipation and straining and if they are too loose it can cause issues with bowel urgency, leakage or difficulty in fully emptying.

Certain foods can affect your bowel and make you more constipated or looser and can even increase wind production! Please take a look at our Food and your bowel leaflet for more information. You may find the Caffeine Reduction information also useful.

Please have a look at our leaflet on good toilet positioning and watch the video below

St Marks Hospital have a great information leaflet on Tips on controlling wind & smells

Please have a look at NHS Inform Webpage on Constipation for more information. NHS Tayside also have a leaflet that you might find useful on constipation. We have an information leaflet on Golden Linseeds (flax seeds) which can be a natural way to help with constipation.

Please look at our Lifestyle and Physical Activity Section for lots of advice

We have linked some other information that you might find helpful below