Peristalsis is not a voluntary muscle movement, so it’s not something people can control consciously.
Rather, the smooth muscles involved in peristalsis operate when they are stimulated to do so.
Peristalsis is important to digestion, but sometimes it doesn’t work properly.
Nipitphon Na Chiangmai / EyeEm / Getty Images
Having constant diarrhea or constipation could be a sign that something has gone haywire with peristalsis.
Peristalsis in the Digestive Tract
Peristalsis in the digestive tract begins in the esophagus.
After food is swallowed, it is moved down the esophagus by peristalsis.
The muscles in the stomach,small intestine, andlarge intestinecontinue the process.
Two tubes in the urinary tract called ureters use peristalsis to move liquid from the kidneys to the bladder.
This liquid then leaves the body through the urethra as urine.
It helps push food through the entire length of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Reverse peristalsis is the process of vomiting.
When stomach contents are moved backward, it is pushed along by the same muscles responsible for peristalsis.
This starts in the small intestine and moves into the stomach.
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