If you struggle to empty your bowels and find yourself sitting in the bathroom for a little too long, there's one thing you can try - and all you need to do is move your leg or grab a stool.Taking to TikTok, Dr Karan Raj aka @dr.karanr, an NHS surgeon and lecturer at Sunderland University, suggests trying one toilet trick when sitting down.
He says that whilst it will likely help you in that moment, it isn't a long term solution.He cautions: "This isn’t going to solve chronic constipation issues or replace a fibre rich diet but if you’re experiencing sudden internal plumbing issues this could be your get out of poop jail free card."So what do you need to do?
The health expert explains: "When you sit with one leg over the other, it mimics the squatting position. This position changes the angle of the rectum by relaxing the puborectalis muscle which normally creates a kink in the rectum to maintain continents, i.e.
it stops your poop leaking out."When the kink is lessened, its allows for a more direct passage of stool and optimised poop physics.