Constipation is a condition of the digestive system. The sufferer has hard feces that are difficult to expel. In most cases, this occurs because the colon has absorbed too much of the water from the food that is in the colon. The slower the food moves through your digestive tract, the more water the colon will absorb from food. Consequently, the feces become dry and hard. Defecation (emptying the bowels) can become very painful, and in some serious cases there may be symptoms of bowel obstruction. When the constipation is very severe; when the constipation prevents the passage of feces and gas, it is called obstipation.
