Can exercise alleviate constipation?

Can exercise alleviate constipation?

Jerry Pryde, MD, MPH, CIME (Clinical Chief, Department of Rehabilitation, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Why is exercise so important?; How can exercise keep my blood pressure under control?; How will exercise improve my stamina and overall energy? and more...

Exercise can alleviate constipation. People who are very sedentary have more issues with gastrointestinal stomach and intestinal problems because of constipation and so people, for instance, who are in the hospital and they're very ill and they're laying in the hospital for several days it's very common for those people to be very constipated. The best treatment for that is to get those folks out of bed and to have them start exercising. By exercising you are moving your body around so there is a mechanical benefit where the food begins to be processed and there is a neurological benefit. You're stimulating your nervous system to increase the input to the intestinal tract and that will start causing what we call peristalsis in the intestinal tract.