Constipation is usually associated with dry and hard stools. The bowel movements are sometimes painful and require straining. When the waste remains in the large intestine for longer periods, a larger portion of water is absorbed from it. Consequently, the stool becomes drier and harder than usual. The harder stool is more difficult to pass through the large intestine.

The most common type of pain observed in constipation is abdominal pain. There are other kinds of pain as well. Pain while passing stools is another symptom. There may be an unsuccessful bowel movement after straining or pushing for more than 10 minutes. You may experience infrequent stool, or one which requires significant effort to pass when having constipation. Constipation is indicated on having a sharp or severe abdominal pain, especially accompanied by bloating.

Due to the passage of large or hard stools, the mucosal membrane of the anus may tear away to cause bleeding. This is especially observed in children. An injury in the digestive tract can be indicated through bloody stools. The stool may show blood from anywhere along your digestive tract. The amount may be too small to be seen, potentially revealing through fecal occult blood test. Usually, black stool means that blood is coming from the upper gastrointestinal tract like stomach or esophagus.

You may experience that you have not passed all teh feces in your system even after visiting the toilet. A possible explanation can be the lower abdomen’s size which apparently increases under certain situations/conditions. There is an apparent change in the body’s baseline. When it ‘thinks’ it has finished evacuating, it may actually not have. Although the ‘stressor’ goes away, the bowel remains inflated and gives an incomplete feel.

Rectal pain is another type of constipation pain. It is generally linked to having fecal impaction. Fecal impaction indicates the stool hardening to a degree where it becomes solid and usually requires a medical procedure for removal. Found commonly in the elderly, the rectal pain tends to develop when you have been lying down with no physical exercise for a long time. Another pain encountered is anal pain. It is caused by tears around the anus, referred to as anal fissures. Passing the stool becomes very difficult and painful in this case.

Losing weight even while not dieting can be another potential symptom. Any unexplained weight loss needs speedy medical attention.

Encopresis, or stool soiling, can be observed in children. Children who are used to toilet may reveal accidental leaking feces in their undergarments. The amount may be small. The stool may have a bad smell. Soiling can arise because the amount of stool gets too much to leak out of the anus. Soiling is usually involuntary and demands medical attention.

At times, passing stool may not seem feasible on your own. Manual maneuvers may be required to aid defecation. 

All individuals have their own bowel movement habits. Some people can have regular soft and near runny stools, while others can have firm stools without any difficulty in passing them out. The general range of bowel movements is from 3 times a day to 3 times a week. If you have less than 3 movements a week, it can indicate constipation. Sometimes, there are more than 3 watery stools a day, indicating diarrhea. If there is any change in bowel habits, it may appear as change in bowel frequency, color, consistency, or shape of stools. For people above 50 yearsof age , the change can signal special concern(s) because they are at a greater risk of developing digestive disease.