Are you worried about your Anal Pain?
There are several different reasons you may be experiencing anal pain and your symptoms are a good indication of potential causes.
Common causes of anal pain include:
- Infrequent and painful bowel movements (may be sign of constipation)
- Sharp burning pains whilst pooing (possibly accompanied by blood) are signs of anal fissures (tears)
- Itches, lumps, and blood around the anus (may be a sign of haemorrhoids)
If your symptoms are mild there are a number of things you can do at home, including small changes in your lifestyle that can help to ease your pain and discomfort. However, if symptoms are severe, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
To ease the symptoms things, you could try include:
- Increasing fibre intake
- Warm baths
- Avoid scratching the area
- Avoid using soap and or shower gel around the area
- Lessen intake of alcohol
- Lessen intake of caffeine
- Do not eat spicy food
- Drinks fluids and exercise
Although anal pain is often easily treatable and will go away on its own there are occasions where further diagnosis is necessary, you should seek further medical assistance if you are experiencing any of the following:
- Severe pain and discomfort
- Pain lasts more than a couple of days
- Bloody stools for a few weeks
- Rectal bleeding and or discharge
- Fever
Here at VIDA we have expert clinicians on hand to help diagnose and treat your condition. To find out more about these services, we recommend visiting the following pages:
- Anal cancer
- Anal fissure (a small tear in the lining of the anal canal)
- Anal fistula (an abnormal channel between the anus or rectum usually to the skin near the anus)
- Anal itching (pruritus ani)
- Anal or rectal stricture
- Anal sex
- Coccydynia or coccygodynia (tailbone pain)
- Crohn's disease (a type of inflammatory bowel disease)
- Diarrhea (causing anal irritation)
- Fecal impaction (a mass of hardened stool in the rectum due to chronic constipation)
- Genital warts
- Hemorrhoids (swollen and inflamed veins in your anus or rectum)
- Levator ani syndrome (spasm in the muscles that surround the anus)
- Perianal abscess (pus in the deep tissue around the anus)
- Perianal hematoma
- Proctalgia fugax (fleeting pain due to rectal muscle spasm)
- Proctitis (inflammation of the lining of the rectum)
- Solitary rectal ulcer syndrome (ulcer of the rectum)
- Thrombosed hemorrhoid (blood clot in a hemorrhoid)
- Ulcerative colitis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease)
- Ulcerative proctitis (a type of inflammatory bowel disease)
Can stress cause anal pain?
Anal pain can be caused by stress on the bowls. Stress can be an indirect symptom of anal pain. If you are suffering with haemorrhoids, anal fissures, or constipation you may naturally feel your stress levels increase which can result in digestive issues.
If you feel you are suffering with stress due to anal pain, then it’s important to discuss with a doctor how you are feeling. Anal pain is more common than people know and can often go untreated.
A doctor will be able to find the root cause and suggest treatments to improve the condition and ease the symptoms.
Is anal cancer painful?
Anal pain is a serious condition that should not be self-diagnosed. It commonly shares many of the same symptoms of haemorrhoids and anal fissures which are less serious conditions.
One of the main symptoms of anal cancer is pain around the anus, although anal cancer can also have no symptoms which is why you should see a GP to assess.
Common signs of anal cancer to look out for include:
- Pain in the anus
- Bleeding or itching from the anus or rectum
- Issues with bowel movements ( bowel incontinence)
- Small lumps in and around the anus