What causes anal incontinence?
Like the other pelvic floor disorders, anal incontinence usually occurs because of childbirth injuries. Even normal easy vaginal deliveries can result in direct injury to the anal sphincter muscle or to the innervations of the rectum and sphincter. About 15% of the time anal incontinence occurs because of a direct injury to the anal sphincter. This may or may not be recognized during childbirth. After childbirth you can often compensate for this problem but as you age, the weakness in these muscles may become more apparent. There are other conditions that can lead to this disorder. Some of the more common include; hemorrhoids or hemorrhoid surgery, inflammatory bowel disease, radiation enteritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, stroke, dementia, Diabetic Neuropathy, Rectal prolapse and descending perineum syndrome.
