The Model System Knowledge and Translation Center (MSKTC) is a national center that helps facilitate the knowledge translation process to make research meaningful to those with Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Burn Injury.
Some people with SCI may experience problems moving waste through their colon, passing a stool when they do not want to, abdominal pain, and anxiety about not being able to control bowel movements in public. The resources at msktc.org explain what a bowel program is, how a bowel program may help people with SCI control bowel movements, the steps involved in maintaining a bowel program, and the importance of maintaining healthy bowel function. A bowel program includes four parts: timing, diet (including food and fluids), medicines, and techniques to help with bowel movements. The program isn’t the same for everybody because each person has different needs and responds differently to each part of the program.
We highly recommend you check out these factsheets, videos, podcasts, and their library of factsheets related to spinal cord injury care. You can check them out at https://msktc.org/sci/factsheets/Bowel_Function.
