This is not 100% true, it's only a thing in specific cases.

The part of the intestines directly connected to the anus and next to the vagina is called the rectum.

Normally there really isn't that much poop in the rectum unless you need to shit bad or have just shit. It's like a buffer your body fills up when you are preparing to go poop, the shit is stored before the rectum and you have muscles that push the poop into the rectum. During the shit the rectum gets squeezed tight and is thus mostly empty. Filling the rectum usually induces the feeling of needing to poop.

However in cases of chronic constipation, some dried out clump of poop can get stuck inside the rectum. By manually pushing out this clump, the rectum can be cleared and normal function can resume.

Usually in cases of constipation the body has trouble even filling the rectum. So squeezing it will do nothing and is probably not recommended. Your body is also really good at squeezing the rectum, with specific muscle groups which serve only to do this one thing.

Also: Don't ever take medical advice from the internet, talk to an actual medical doctor, your personal doctor if available.

Fun new trick to try on the girlfriend.

..Okay. I will share this with some female friends of mine and see what reactions I get. If my social standing suddenly drops a lot, I will be blaming you

Gives a whole new meaning to "shit just works"

Am male and not overly terrified, though that might just be due to a general interest in health/medicine.

More just curious about how long some people's thumbs are. The specific angle you'd wind up with also seems like it'd be pretty awkward.

Do women not know of the poop knife?

Honey? You doing gymnastics in there?

Ehhh, I think it better to say that it can work. It really depends on the degree of constipation, the reason for it, where it is in the large intestine, and the state of the feces.

But it will absolutely not be like squeezing out toothpaste if the person is constipated enough to need to try it in the first place. If the poop is firm enough to have difficulty exiting the anus, it won't be a gentle push and then out comes the poop all easy like. It will absolutely help, though I would say that digital dilation of the anus would be a better option, and even that only after something like a suppository has failed to give relief.

I'm kinda 50/50 on trying an enema before trying the more direct methods like this, or digital dilation. They can work, but I've seen them fail to clear a blockage and end up just messy. Most of the time, a glycerin suppository is going to do a gentler, better job of helping the rectum clear than manual assistance of any kind.

But gods, anything is better than having to clear the impaction manually. Nobody enjoys that. When you have to essentially dig the feces out, everyone involved is going to be in some degree of pain. And even that's better than the rare instance that requires more complicated intervention. Which, in my twenty years wiping butts and helping clear them out, I only ever had one patient need anything more than manual intervention. And that guy was on enough opiates to knock a horse out, so it isn't a common thing.

No bullshit though, the first time I had to clear an impaction, I didn't throw up, I didn't have to take any breaks, but holy hell did I cry after. I'm a big dude. My fingers are kinda huge as well. So there was no way for it to be a gentle, easy experience. There was a great deal of discomfort for the patient. Poor guy was not exactly happy he was cleared out, though he did later say that it was better.

Uhm.

Hmmm. This certainly doesn't benefit me. And the fact that I have something else much larger and potentially more forceful than a thumb has now given me anxiety about doing this unintentionally.

you forget that lemmy is 95% men ^citation needed^

I think it's more like forcing yourself to throw up, you reach into your throat and giggle your dangler. Now if you are constipated just poke your butthole to find your butthole uvula

The nurse assisting my wife while she was giving birth did this for her while helping dialate prior to delivery. It wasn't something they warned us about in the birthing classes.

IIRC this can be semi-required if you have a weak pelvic floor, which can be remedied by doing kegal exercises.