What Are the Causes of an Impacted Bowel?
An impacted bowel, sometimes called a fecal impaction, happens when a large ball of dry, hard stool gets stuck in the rectum, according to MedlinePlus. The blockage of stool can become so hard that it can’t be eliminated and blocks the intestine. The stool backed up behind the blockage sometimes seeps out around it, causing soiling or diarrhea. Though the condition is treatable, it can cause tearing in the rectum or even tissue death.
