A fecal impaction is a large, hard mass of stool that gets stuck so badly in your colon or rectum that you can’t push it out. You may also be unable to sense or respond when stool is in your rectum.

Lindsay Curtis is a health & medical writer in South Florida. She worked as a communications professional for health nonprofits and the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of ...

Stool can become impacted, or stuck, in your colon, blocking waste from leaving the body. This often causes pain and bloating. Treatment can include laxatives or procedures to remove the stool. When ...

Fecal impaction refers to a mass of hardened stools in the colon or rectum. This obstruction can make it extremely difficult for a person to pass stools and may cause symptoms such as abdominal ...

Constipation is difficulty emptying your bowels. Fecal impaction is the buildup of hardened stool in your bowel that you can’t pass. Fecal impaction is a potential complication of chronic constipation ...

Fecal impaction is when a hard, dry mass of stool becomes stuck in the colon or rectum. If laxatives and suppositories do not help, enema, water irrigation, or manual evacuation may be necessary.

Everyone poops, but sometimes, poor digestive health can lead to issues that make pooping difficult, such as constipation. In severe cases, backed-up stool can lead to fecal impaction, when a hard, ...