Where is bowel

Once the bowel has done its work and absorbed nutrients from food, the waste travels to the rectum which stretches, triggering a message to the brain to say that the bowel is full and needs to be emptied. After food has travelled along the gut, it has become digested and the nutrients and fluids absorbed; the waste is then expelled through the rectum and anus.

The rectum and the upper portion of the anal canal are richly supplied with nerves. When the rectum is full, the nerves sense this fullness and then inform the brain whether this is due to gas or stool. When we need to go to the toilet, the brain tells the anal sphincter muscles, via the nerves, to relax. As the muscles relax, the anus opens and the rectum empties. In some neurological and spinal conditions the brain cannot tell whether the bowel is full of waste faeces or just wind.

This can lead to accidental leakage. The anal canal is about 3 — 4cm long in women and sometimes slightly longer in men. The internal and external sphincters form 2 concentric rings which run along the length of the anal canal.

The internal anal sphincter IAS is made of smooth muscle and we do not have voluntary control of this muscle. It works automatically to keep the anus closed until we are ready to have a bowel movement. The external anal sphincter EAS is made of striated muscle the same as the pelvic floor muscles ; we do have voluntary control over the EAS — allowing us to hold on if we are aware of wind or diarrhoea. Rectal prolapse is when part of your rectum or the lining of your rectum, protrudes through your anus.

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Best practice colorectal cancer. Updated It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer. The bowel. The bowel is part of our digestive system and is made up of the small bowel and the large bowel. On this page. About the bowel The bowel is part of the digestive system. It is divided into two parts: the small bowel the large bowel. The large bowel is made up of the colon, rectum and anus. Diagram of the digestive system When you swallow food, it passes down the gullet oesophagus to the stomach.

Diagram of the digestive system. See also Bowel cancer.