...............Puborectalis  – Home Treatment – Squatting

The puborectalis muscle is considered to be under voluntary control, and the relaxation of this muscle can be manipulated by movement and posture. This action is maintained by the contraction of the puborectalis muscle.  It remains contracted when we are standing or sitting and can be relaxed to remove tension at the Anorectal junction in the squat posture. During defecation (if you are squatting) there is flexion of the thighs and this straightens out this angle and facilitates evacuation with greater ease.

The anal canal and the rectum form an angle of about 80 degrees. The Squat posture allows the sling like puborectalis muscle to relax and release its grip on the rectal wall – this creates a clear passage between the colon and the anus.   Additionally, leaning forward while in the squat posture helps relax the muscle and helps remove the locking posture, which is normally closed by the muscle in its contracted state to maintain continence in the sitting and standing postures.  Squatting is said to protect the nerves that control the prostate, bladder and uterus from becoming stretched and damaged.

Most importantly for PPS, squatting relaxes the puborectalis muscle which normally chokes the rectum in order to maintain continence.  I read once that a Israeli doctor did a experiment to see how many seconds it typically took for people to defecate.  It was on average 50 seconds for squatting and 130 seconds for toilet sitting.  The squatters also felt that they had completely eliminated more than the sitters.

The following shows the steps to elimination when you squat to poop!
1.Assume the squat position
2.The rectum and anal canal come into a straight line
3.The abdominal pressure is raised
4.The pelvic floor is lowered
5.The sphincter relaxes
6.Stool passes through the anal canal

You can use a Squatty Potty to help in this, or consider making your own.  It helps flex the thigh at the hip, promoting better evacuation.............