There’s a lot of things that we’ve probably been doing wrong for our entire lives without even realising, such as the way we change our bed sheets or the way we cook dinner every night.
Hell, a driving instructor even revealed that we’ve been opening our car doors wrong this entire time.
But what about when it comes to going to the loo?Read More
In a viral 2022 TikTok video for BIEN Australia, George – a pelvic floor physiotherapist – explained how we shouldn’t actually be wiping ourselves any more than three times after going for a number two.
But worry not, as she started the video by saying she will tell viewers how they will be able to reduce the number of times they wipe.
So, why shouldn’t we be wiping more than three times?
“When you are wiping more than two or three times, that is called faecal smearing,” she said.
“So it is essentially when too much fecal matter stays at the entrance of the anus even after you have finished your poo.”
This pretty much means that there’s still poo on our bums after we’ve been to the loo and carried on going about our daily business. Lovely.
How to reduce wiping
The pelvic floor physiotherapist then explained how people can use to not wipe so much.
“A technique that you can use to reduce the number of times you wipe is by squeezing your pelvic floor in a waterfall formation,” she said.
“So start by squeezing the anus 20 percent, then 50 percent, 80 percent, and 100 percent so that you have squeezed it four times at the end of your poo.
“This can help close off the anus sphincter, which is the reason you are having little bits of stool hanging on the entrance – it is usually from weakness from that external sphincter.”
Hopefully, this technique will save you from going through this much toilet roll next time you go for a poo.
Hopefully, this technique will save you from going through this much toilet roll next time you go for a poo.
Is there a reason why we sometimes feel we need to wipe so much?
And as for what causes the need for excessive wiping, George said that haemorrhoids or any ‘scar tissue around the anus’ could be the culprits.
If her trick doesn’t work, she advised anyone watching to go and get it checked out with a medical professional.
People flooded the comments section with their own advice, with many suggesting an alternative to wiping with tissue: “Just use water/bidet.”
Another pointed out how diet is vital for healthy poos, saying: “Drink more water, eat more fibre, do cleaner poos.”
