PATIENT PRESENTATION MARKER

Splinting

What this marker measures

The degree to which the patient reported splinting (using hand or fingers to support) when passing a bowel motion in the last 3 months.

Health categories/Interpretations informed by this marker

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Clinical features
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‍● Lower GI symptoms: splinting is a commonly-reported lower gastrointestinal symptom that can affect quality of life.
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Interpreting the result

PRESENT

Questionnaire responses indicate needing to use a hand or fingers as support to pass a bowel motion more than 25% of the time.

PARTIALLY PRESENT

Questionnaire responses indicate needing to use a hand or fingers as support to pass a bowel motion 25% of the time or less.

NOT PRESENT

Questionnaire responses indicate not needing to use a hand or fingers as support to pass a bowel motion in the past 3 months.

Patient management insights

clinical management

Consider pelvic floor physiotherapy: biofeedback-assisted pelvic floor physiotherapy may reduce colonic transit time, and reduce the need for laxatives and digital manoeuvres in patients with chronic constipation and dyssynergic defecation/pelvic floor dyssynergia.^1,2
‍GRADE D

Tips for patients discussion

"Your questionnaire responses show that you sometimes need to use your hand or fingers to help pass a bowel motion. This is more common than many people realise, and it can be a sign that the muscles involved aren't working together as well as they could. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help retrain these muscles, and we'll look at your other results to see what else might help."

Source references for all clinical associations, interpretation definitions, and patient management insights on this card.

1. Rao, S. S. C. et al. Randomized controlled trial of biofeedback, sham feedback, and standard therapy for dyssynergic defecation. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 5, 331–338 (2007).
2. Chiarioni, G., Whitehead, W. E., Pezza, V., Morelli, A. & Bassotti, G. Biofeedback is superior to laxatives for normal transit constipation due to pelvic floor dyssynergia. Gastroenterology 130, 657–664 (2006).