Anal pain

Anal pain is a signal from the body that something is wrong with your health.

In particular, with the condition of the rectum, which at the end covers the anus in the form of a ring. Read more about the causes of anal pain in this article.

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Causes anus pain

If anal pain becomes more intense during defecation, the cause may be a crack in the anus, which hurts, is sore and is also irritated by feces. This indicates that the rectal mucosa is damaged due to stretching.

Such stretching may be due to the fact that the feces are too liquid and abundant (diarrhea) or, conversely, too dense (constipation). The rectal mucosa may also be damaged due to the fact that there may be a foreign object in the feces that scratches the delicate mucosa.

You can judge the damage to the mucous membrane by the fact that the pain in the anus is not constant, but intensifies during defecation.

If the anus begins to hurt more during defecation, it is most likely an acute inflammation of the mucous membrane as a result of injury or scratch. If the pain in the anus bothers more after defecation, it means that the condition of the anal fissure is chronic, it will be more difficult to treat.

Physical disorders

The main cause of pain in the anus is anal fissures - tears or cuts in the rectal mucosa. They occur due to digestive disorders, due to severe diarrhea or high density and volume of feces, or due to the presence of undigested objects in the feces, such as bones. In such cases, the pain is acute, the pain manifests itself during defecation. Patients often deliberately do not go to the toilet, which causes constipation and worsens their condition. Pain observed after defecation indicates that the disorder is changing from acute to chronic. In addition to pain, patients with anal fissures may have sphincter spasms and bloody discharge from the anus.

Also, pain in the anus occurs due to prolonged sitting on a hard surface, as well as due to falls and bruises. In these situations, the pain subsides over time on its own, or it is necessary to change the place of sitting.

Another cause of pain in the anus is rectal prolapse. This disorder is typical for older women who have given birth several times. But sometimes it also occurs in people of the opposite sex and age category.

One of the rarest causes of pain in the anus is proctologic fugues. They are spasms of the anus, usually disturbing the patient during sleep. They are mainly observed in adolescents and disappear over the years.

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Cancer and pain in the anus

Obvious symptomatic manifestations help to detect anal cancer in the early stages. These include the presence of scarlet blood in the feces and dull pain during bowel movements, which over time becomes more intense and constantly torments. This is explained by the increasing innervation of the anus.

With cancer, pain in the anus often radiates to neighboring areas: thighs, genitals, lower abdomen. High intensity of pain does not indicate the inoperability of a cancerous tumor, so with such symptoms it is necessary to take immediate action.

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Pain in the anus due to inflammatory processes

Inflammation of hemorrhoids is one of the main causes of pain in the anus, most often inflammation occurs due to excessive stress, alcohol consumption, spicy food and a number of other reasons. The nature of the pain is very acute, it is difficult for the patient to defecate, to sit and stand. Symptoms include fever and chills.

Subcutaneous paraproctitis is another cause of pain in the anus. An abscess is formed, which is located in the subcutaneous tissue of the anus. Symptoms: high temperature, chills and systematically increasing pain in the anus, which becomes excruciating during defecation.

A rare disease is a submucous rectal abscess. In this situation, an abscess also forms and is located at the edge of the anus under the mucous membrane. Patients are haunted by a dull pain, the intensity of which increases during defecation. Visually, the source of pain is difficult to detect and only palpation can help.

Another reason for pain in the anus is various sexually transmitted diseases.

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Submucosal rectal abscess

This disease is quite rare, but it does exist. Pus accumulates under the rectal mucosa near the anus, causing pain in the area. The pain worsens during defecation, at first it is dull and aching, then sharp.

The temperature rises to 37-38 degrees. If you insert your fingers into the anus, you will feel something like a hard lump. This is an abscess, which is usually removed surgically.

Causes of pain in the anus can be of the following nature: physical disorders, oncological and infectious diseases.

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Other Causes of Anal Pain

1. The person often sits on a hard surface (for example, on a stool without a soft cushion).
2. Spasms of the rectal muscles that cannot be explained by science. Most often, they occur unexpectedly after a bowel movement, especially at night. The medical name is proctalgic fugues. Most often, proctalgic fugues bother people at a young age, even starting from the age of 14. In elderly people, with a weakened sphincter, they are observed very rarely.
3. Thrombosis, inflammation of hemorrhoidal nodes after alcohol abuse, lifting weights, as a result of complications during pregnancy, after long-term debilitating constipation. In this case, the patient's temperature may rise to 38-39 degrees, he may have chills, and the anus hurts unbearably even in a lying position.
4. The cones in the anus can hurt a lot, swell, grow larger, and the pain is further aggravated by the fact that they are squeezed by the sphincter. Hemorrhoidal cones can die from this. Then only medicinal methods are not enough, an operation is needed.

Pathogenesis

The rectum is the end of the digestive tract. What is not digested in the human body passes through the rectum and anus to the outside. This is called the act of defecation.

The rectum has an outlet that ends in a ring-shaped circle. This is the anus. Inside it is a sphincter that controls the contraction and relaxation of the anus. The sphincter is a group of muscles that can contract and relax.

When the rectal muscle membrane tenses, the sphincter opens and the fecal mass exits the body. To help it slide and exit, the sphincter has folds, one of which is arranged in the form of a spiral. This spiral is one and a half turns, which allows the piece of feces to unscrew from the rectum painlessly and gently.

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The inside of the rectum

The inside of the rectum is lined with a mucous membrane that contains glands. They secrete mucus, which allows feces to pass without interference and without injuring the walls of the rectum.

There are veins under the mucus in the rectum - a network of veins called the hemorrhoidal plexus. When a person has hemorrhoids, the veins swell and bulge out in the form of cones. Blood from these veins goes directly into the bloodstream of the general system, and does not pass through the liver. Therefore, all drugs that are administered through the rectum immediately enter the blood without passing through the liver. This makes them act much faster - almost immediately.

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What is anus?

This is the anus, the final area of the rectum through which feces pass. If the anus hurts, it means that its tissues are injured, destroyed or damaged. Fortunately, this deficiency is easy to fix if you know the causes of anal pain.

Symptoms anus pain

In most cases, patients try to hide such symptoms and seek help in critical cases. This is absolutely the wrong decision, because the symptoms can indicate serious disorders in the body, and diagnosing the problem at an early stage will help to avoid unnecessary exacerbations.

It is not as strong as with hemorrhoids - it is even stronger. The person cannot go to the toilet, and this leads to even more discomfort, because the feces remain close to the anus, but cannot come out due to severe pain in the rectum.

In very rare cases, pain in the anus does not bother, this means that the disease is already very long-term. But the pain is strong in the perineum and sacrum area.

If the pain is not too old, then it is present in the anus, perineum, and sacrum.

Associated unpleasant manifestations of trauma or a crack in the anus include urinary retention, inability to urinate due to pain in the perineum, changes in the rhythm and abundance of menstruation, as well as shortness of breath, manifestations of angina (irregularities in the heart rhythm).

Complications and consequences

When the rectal mucosa is damaged and a person does not see a doctor for a long time, the nerve endings located in the anus begin to become very irritated and transmit pain impulses to the brain. If you endure it and do nothing, the anal sphincter, which usually pushes out feces, freezes in spasm and the pain intensifies even more.

This pain may not go away for 3-4 hours to a day or two. The crack in the anus or on the mucous membrane may widen, which increases the pain to the point of screaming. Blood may be released from the anus at this time, which is very frightening for a person.

An anal fissure can be of the following dimensions: length - up to one and a half centimeters, depth up to three millimeters and width up to five millimeters. It is usually located on the wall of the anal canal at the back, sometimes on the front (rare case) or on both walls of the anus, which almost never happens.

If a person feels pain in the anus, especially sharp, an ambulance should be called. Then the doctor will prescribe treatment in a hospital to control the process.

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Anal cancer

It can be immediately distinguished by its symptoms, because anal cancer does not proceed latently – it always manifests itself.

At first you see drops of scarlet blood in the stool. This is the first and main sign that a person has anal cancer.

With anal cancer, constant pain in the anus is almost always a concern.

At first, anal pain bothers during the act of defecation (it can be very strong, a person can even scream). Then the pain intensifies even more and finally becomes unbearable. If the pain radiates to the lower abdomen, perineum, thighs, then the process may be neglected, and immediate measures must be taken. However, such severe pain can bother at the initial stage of the disease. It is so powerful because there are many nerve receptors in the anal area that transmit pain signals throughout the body.

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Diagnostics anus pain

Pain in the anus that haunts you for several days can be very negative and you need immediate examination by a specialist. If you have additional symptoms described above, you should immediately consult a doctor. In the early stages, all diseases are easily treated, but delay can seriously undermine your health.

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Treatment anus pain

When you are bothered by painful sensations in the area of the opening through which feces are removed from the rectum, it means that you need to see a doctor to determine their causes, because anal pain does not occur on its own, but is a symptom of certain pathologies that require treatment. Let's consider what treatment is necessary for anal pain in various diseases.

Treatment of anal pain in various diseases

Anal fissures are quite common and can occur both with constipation and diarrhea, but in both cases they are accompanied by pain. And treatment of anal pain in the presence of damage to the mucous membrane includes the use of laxatives for constipation (based on lactulose), as well as local drugs in the form of rectal suppositories and various ointments and creams.

The Doloproct cream (with lidocaine and fluocortolone) recommended by proctologists should be applied 2 times a day: morning and evening for 14 days. It is not used during pregnancy.

Rectal ointment Proctosedyl (framycetin + hydrocortisone + benzocaine) is used similarly, but the course of treatment is half as long (one week); the ointment is contraindicated in case of viral or fungal skin lesions in the anus area, during pregnancy and lactation.

The ointment Ultraproct (fluocortolone pivalate + fluocortolone caproate + cinchocaine) will relieve pain and inflammation and is recommended to be used twice a day; contraindications to its use include tuberculosis, syphilis, viral diseases, and the first three months of pregnancy.

Proctozan suppositories contain the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic bufexamac, lidocaine hydrochloride, bismuth subgallate and titanium dioxide. These suppositories are used after defecation and hygienic treatment of the anal area - 1-2 times a day. Contraindications apply to those who have had atopic dermatitis, as well as pregnant women.

Rectal suppositories with sea buckthorn oil help heal anal fissures; they are inserted into the anus one suppository at a time twice a day (the second time must be before bedtime).

Candles are good because they have no side effects and contraindications. Candles containing propolis have the same advantages (they are used in the same way).

Treatment of anal pain due to hemorrhoids is also carried out using rectal suppositories and ointments.

Heparin ointment is applied in a thin layer to the anal area no more than three times a day for a week. But this ointment is contraindicated in the presence of skin damage and increased bleeding.

Troxevasin gel helps with bleeding hemorrhoids and hemorrhoidal cones. It is applied to the affected area - before bed and in the morning (the course of treatment should not exceed 4 weeks). The list of its contraindications includes gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, chronic gastritis and the first trimester of pregnancy.

Rectal suppositories Ultraproct with fluocortolone should be used once a day (at night). Contraindications are the same as for the ointment (see above).

In case of acute hemorrhoids, rectal cream and suppositories Procto-Glivenol (tribenoside + lidocaine) can be used. The cream is used as an application (2 times a day), suppositories - once a day. This remedy can sometimes cause a burning sensation; it should not be used by pregnant women.

And Anuzol hemorrhoid suppositories are not used for an enlarged prostate gland.

For an overview of rectal suppositories, see – Suppositories for hemorrhoids, as well as advice – How to choose the best cream for hemorrhoids.

Proctitis is an inflammation of the rectum, which also causes anal pain, which is treated with the same ointments and suppositories that have already been listed. For more details on the treatment of this disease, see the article - Proctitis.

Local treatment of anal pain due to paraproctitis (anorectal abscess) includes

An ointment with the antibiotic Mupirocin, which is applied to the affected areas twice a day.

Treatment of anal pain in anal cancer – see publication Anorectal cancer.

Physiotherapeutic treatment for anal pain carried out at home consists of warm (temperature no higher than +39°C) baths with potassium permanganate (manganese, the potassium permanganate solution should be pale pink).

Homeopathic Treatment for Anal Pain

Treatment of anal pain with homeopathic remedies is carried out with such preparations as: Aconite, Belladonna, Aesculus hypocastanum, Ignatia, Mercuriu solubilis, Muriaticum acidum, Paeonia. To carry out such therapy, it is necessary to contact a homeopathic specialist who selects a remedy for each individual.

Among the homeopathic pharmaceutical preparations, it is worth noting the suppositories and ointment for hemorrhoids Hamamelis.

The preparation contains an extract of leaves and bark of the plant Hamamelis virginiana L., rich in essential oils, flavonoids and tannins. The ointment is inserted into the anus with a tampon once a day. And suppositories - once or twice a day.

Read also – How to cure hemorrhoids with homeopathy?

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Folk remedies for anal pain

Herbalists and folk healers recommend making the already mentioned warm baths with decoctions of medicinal plants: St. John's wort, plantain, chamomile, yarrow, knotweed, meadowsweet or veronica officinalis (three tablespoons of dry raw materials per liter of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, leave for 30-40 minutes). You should use only fresh decoction, diluting it with warm boiled water 1:1.

Herbal treatment suggests microclysters with decoctions of calendula flowers, elecampane, marsh cudweed, loosestrife or basil (a tablespoon of raw materials per glass of water, the decoction is boiled down by half).

You can also make an oil application to the sore spot using a piece of bandage soaked in a special pain-relieving oil. This oil is prepared on the basis of any vegetable oil (50 ml) with the addition of 8-10 drops of one of the essential oils - lavender, thyme, jasmine or St. John's wort.

A tampon soaked in a mixture of May honey and aloe juice, taken in equal quantities, inserted overnight helps relieve pain in the anus.

Also, see other Natural Remedies for Hemorrhoids.

Prevention

Prevention of anal pain is prevention of those pathologies that cause this pain. In fact, the prognosis for solving this delicate health problem also depends on the cause of its occurrence…

The likelihood of anal fissures and hemorrhoids is reduced by constipation prevention and sufficient physical activity. You do not know how to eat properly to avoid constipation and hemorrhoids? Carefully read the article Diet for constipation and be healthy.

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