Is a redundant colon the cause of your IBS symptoms?

Have you ever seen "redundant colon" on your colonoscopy report and wondered what it actually means, or whether it could explain your chronic constipation?

In this episode of The Gut Show, I'm joined by Dr. Kyle Staller to unpack what a redundant colon actually is and, more importantly, whether it matters for your symptoms. We talk about what's considered a "normal" colon length, differences between men and women, and whether the extra twists and loops associated with a redundant colon are something to worry about.

We also get into some of the biggest questions for people struggling with chronic constipation:

• Could a redundant colon be part of the reason stool just doesn't seem to move?

• Is there a connection between redundant colon and hypermobility?

• How does this affect constipation and motility?

About our guest:

Kyle Staller, MD, MPH is a gastroenterologist, Section Chief of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Staller specializes in disorders of gastrointestinal motility and neurogastroenterology and his clinical practice is devoted to treating patients with GI motility disorders and disorders of brain-gut interaction.

Dr. Staller's research interests include clinical and epidemiologic research in neurogastroenterology and motility with particular interest in chronic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fecal incontinence, eating disorders, and women's health in functional GI diseases. His research has been published in medical journals across the spectrum of GI, and he also serves as a medical liaison to the media with appearances in national news outlets as well as health and wellness magazines.

Dr. Staller received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and trained at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for residency and gastroenterology (GI) fellowship. He also completed formal training in epidemiology culminating in a Masters of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and subspecialty training in neurogastroenterology and motility at MGH before joining the faculty.

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