Colon Anatomy 101
Do you know what your colon is, its parts, and important functions in the body? Apparently, knowing what the colon is and understanding its important functions is the key to knowing how to better take care and maintain its health.
Colon: An Overview of The Colon Anatomy:
The colon is also known by many as the large intestine, which is approximately 4.5-feet long, 2.5-inch wide. It is a tube of muscles composed of blood vessels, lymphatic tissue, connective tissue, and specialized muscles responsible for waste removal and water absorption. The colon or large intestine is covered with a tough outer layer that protects the colon’s inner layer with circular muscles for pushing waste out of the body, which is a process called as peristalsis. Also, underneath the outer muscular layer is a sub-mucous coating which contains the lymphatic tissue, connective tissue, and blood vessels. Lastly, the innermost layer, which contains the tiny or villi-structures significant to providing blood to the large intestine, is extremely sensitive and moist.
Components of the Colon:
The colon is mainly consists of various parts with distinct responsibilities. These parts include transverse, ascending colon, and descending colon, appendix, sigmoid, anus, and rectum.
Transverse colon. It is the section of the colon beginning from the hepatic flexure (colon’s turn by the liver) to the splenic flexure (colon’s turn by the spleen). It is enclosed in peritoneum, and is thus mobile which consequently makes it different from the other parts around it. Moreover, this section holds off the stomach and attached to it is the greater omentum, a wide band of tissue. By a mesentery, the transverse mesocolon connects the transverse colon to the posterior abdominal wall.
Ascending colon. It is part of the large intestine which is approximately 12.5-cm long and is located on the right side of the abdomen. The ascending colon goes from the cecum to the hepatic flexure (colon’s turn by the liver). Among humans, the ascending colon is retroperitoneal. This simply means that it is usually located behind the peritoneum, which is the tissue that courses the main section within the abdomen. In contrast, unlike in grazing animals, the cecum drains into the spiral colon.
Anteriorly, the ascending colon is correlated to the coils of the small intestine, the anterior abdominal wall, and the right edge of the greater omentum. Subsequently, it is associated to the iliolumbar ligament, iliacus, the transverse abdominis, the quadratus lumborum, the lateral cutaneous, the transverse abdominis, ilioinguinal, the diaphragm (at the tip of the last rib), and iliohypogastric nerves; the iliolumbar vessels’ iliac branches, the right kidney, and the fourth lumbar artery.
Descending colon. It is the part of the colon that goes from the splenic flexure to the first section of the sigmoid colon. The descending colon is retroperitoneal in two-thirds of humans, whereas the other one third is mesentery (normally short).
Sigmoid colon. The term sigmoid basically means S-shaped. Its walls are made of muscle tissues, which contract to increase pressure within the colon resulting for the stool to move into the rectum. It is the section of the colon subsequent to the descending colon and ahead of the rectum.
Fundamental Functions of the Colon in the Human Body:
The colon is basically among the vital parts of the body that helps in eliminating various food and bodily wastes. By working jointly with the lungs, kidney, and skin, they become the significant parts of the body designed to accomplish the essential functions of eliminating toxins in the intestines, likewise in the blood and lymph systems.
Water and mineral absorption, and formation and elimination of human feces are the principal functions of the colon. Moreover, the colon contains around 60 varieties of bacteria or microfloria that help in digestion, promoting production of important nutrient for the body, maintaining the body’s pH balance, and ruling out growth of harmful bacteria.
Normally, a person with a healthy colon would have 2-3 bowel movements daily, in a while after every meal. Moreover, the elimination of stool should be complete and easy. Also, the stool should come out light brown and with no offensive odor. Otherwise, unusual signs and symptoms in the process of doing away with your stool, likewise you stool’s appearance may mean some disorders of the colon. Thus, you would need to see your doctor for initial check-up.
Nowadays, more and more people become engrossed in using various colon cleanse products, either for fast relief from constipation or a healthy start to having a clean and healthy colon. Perhaps this means that there is an increasing awareness and understanding among us on what the colon really is—its anatomical relevance and important functions in the human body.
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