Constipation Relief the OT Way: Treating the Whole Person
Presented by Lindsey Vestal
12-Month Subscription
Unlimited access to:
- Thousands of CE Courses
- Patient Education
- Home Exercise Program
- And more
Nonfinancial: Lindsey Vestal has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Constipation is a common condition experienced by clients of any age, and its negative impact is experienced on personal, familial, and systemic levels. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) are poised to provide conservative measures, including but not limited to water intake, dietary choices, behavior modification, and habit stacking.
Both client and clinician can feel uneasy discussing this socially sensitive topic; however, attaining client-centered goals expands a client’s occupational performance in self-care, home and community mobility, social participation, and role management. OTPs are experts in the biopsychosocial approach, and applying this to constipation relief can improve client occupational performance, independence, and self-confidence. An emphasis will be on conservative approaches to improved toileting frequency and experience.
Meet your instructor
Lindsey Vestal
Lindsey Vestal is an occupational therapist internationally known for her advocacy for occupational therapy’s role in pelvic health. She was the first OT to start a private practice specializing in pelvic health in New York City in 2014 and in Paris in 2019. Now her company, The Functional Pelvis, focuses solely on teaching…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. GI Know: A Brief Overview of Anatomy and Function
This brief review of general anatomy and physiology will focus your attention on components and processes associated with bowel movements. A review of the Rome IV constipation criteria will be included.
2. Behavioral Modifications for a Happy Bowel
Expand your knowledge regarding the types of behavioral modifications that can play a role in alleviating the pain of constipation, including diet, exercise, elimination habits, bladder retraining, and postures.
3. Choose With Confidence: Lengthen, Coordination, or Strengthen
You will refine your treatments by applying specific interventions to treat clients whose systems range from overactive to underactive to uncoordinated.
4. Intermission: The Importance of Breaks and Breath for Bowel Health
You will identify methods to incorporate a client’s psychosocial components into interventions for holistic constipation relief, resulting in optimal outcomes.
