anal sphincter
Bowel's exit gatekeeper
The anal sphincter is the ring of muscle that controls the opening of the anus, regulating the passage of feces and gas from the body.
There are actually two—an internal sphincter that operates involuntarily and an external one under conscious control.
The surgery damaged her anal sphincter, causing incontinence.
Control over bodily functions
- defecationExpulsion of feces
- bowel controlVoluntary defecation regulation
- relaxationState of being unwound
- contractionReduction in size
Terminal intestinal chamber
- anusPosterior digestive opening
- pelvic floorMuscles supporting abdominal organs
- anal canalTerminal digestive tract segment
- pudendal nerveNerve supplying pelvic floor
Self-regulating without awareness
- voluntaryDone by choice
- involuntaryNot under conscious control
- pudendal nerveNerve supplying pelvic floor
- spinal cordBrain's extension through vertebrae
innervation · sensory feedback · motor control · neurogenic · spinal injury
Inability to retain waste
- constipationDifficult, infrequent waste elimination
- hemorrhoidsSwollen anal blood vessels
- fissureNarrow crack in rock
- fistulaAberrant anatomical channel
prolapse · pruritus ani · abscess · soiling · leakage · urgency
Training via physiological monitoring
- manometryMeasuring pressure in fluids
- colostomySurgically created bowel outlet
- enemaRectal fluid injection
- suppositoryInsertable solid medication
continence
Control over bodily functions
- defecationExpulsion of feces
- bowel controlVoluntary defecation regulation
- relaxationState of being unwound
rectum
Terminal intestinal chamber
- anusPosterior digestive opening
- pelvic floorMuscles supporting abdominal organs
- anal canalTerminal digestive tract segment
autonomic
Self-regulating without awareness
- voluntaryDone by choice
- involuntaryNot under conscious control
- pudendal nerveNerve supplying pelvic floor
spinal cord · innervation · sensory feedback · motor control · neurogenic · spinal injury
incontinence
Inability to retain waste
- constipationDifficult, infrequent waste elimination
- hemorrhoidsSwollen anal blood vessels
- fissureNarrow crack in rock
fistula · prolapse · pruritus ani · abscess · soiling · leakage · urgency
biofeedback
Training via physiological monitoring
- Sphincters
- smooth muscle organsstomach, intestines, bladder, uterus, esophagus
- anorectal anatomyanal canal, anus, rectum, anal glands, mucosa
- colorectalcolon, rectum, anus, cecum, caecum
- pelvispelvis, pelvic bone, pubic bone, pelvic cavity, pelvic floor
- colon functionwater absorption, peristalsis, defecation, mass movement