A man who spent extended periods of time sitting on the toilet using his phone, sometimes for over 2 hours, ended up with a 13cm rectal prolapse and was diagnosed with third-degree rectal prolapse.
According to comprehensive reports from Sina News, a hospital in Zhengzhou, China, recently treated a 33-year-old man who experienced sudden severe pain during a bathroom visit, accompanied by rectal bleeding. His rectum prolapsed by 13 centimeters, and doctors diagnosed him with the most severe form of third-degree rectal prolapse. If untreated, future episodes of even coughing forcefully could result in his rectum prolapsing again.
During treatment, the doctors learned that the man often spent long periods sitting on the toilet playing with his phone, sometimes for as long as over two hours. The doctors advised against using phones in the bathroom and suggested keeping toilet visits between 5 to 10 minutes, as exceeding 10 minutes significantly increases various health risks.
Hou Chaofeng, Director of Colorectal Surgery at Zhengzhou Central Hospital, pointed out that modern people generally spend too much time in the bathroom, and the habit of “toilet time on the phone” is becoming a hidden health threat.
Dr. Hou explained that during bowel movements, the body naturally increases abdominal pressure. Prolonged sitting on the toilet further compresses the rectum, causing the connection between the rectal mucosa and muscle layer to loosen. In the case of this man with third-degree rectal prolapse, his habit of frequently watching short videos and playing games during prolonged toilet visits—sometimes up to two hours—allowed continuous abdominal pressure to act on the rectum. Over time, the rectal mucosa gradually lost its structural support, ultimately resulting in prolapse.
Additionally, the anal sphincter needs to contract to maintain closure. Prolonged sitting on the toilet results in the anal sphincter staying in a relaxed state for too long.
According to data, spending more than 15 minutes in the bathroom reduces sphincter sensitivity by 30%, significantly weakening its ability to anchor the rectum. Before surgery, tests on this man revealed that the tension in his anal sphincter was already significantly below normal levels, making it unable to effectively prevent the rectum from sliding out.
Moreover, sitting for prolonged periods impairs venous blood flow around the anus, leading to mucosal congestion and swelling. Just like wallpaper losing its stickiness and bubbling, rectal mucosa in a congested state can also easily separate from the muscle layer, eventually leading to prolapse. In this man's case, the mucosal congestion was severe, and pre-surgical examinations revealed a risk of localized necrosis in his rectal mucosa.
Furthermore, prolonged sitting on toilets presents hidden dangers. Traditional squatting posture results in a rectoanal angle of 130°, which is more conducive to defecation. However, sitting on modern toilets reduces this angle to 100°, decreasing efficiency. Doctors recommend using a footstool to simulate a squatting posture and shortening toilet time.