Rectal pain

Perhaps there is no one in the world who has never had a pain in the anus.
The anus, like the fingertips, is the area of the body with the densest sensory nerve endings.
That is why pain here is experienced so intensely.
“My haemorrhoids hurt”, says the patient, although, contrary to popular belief, haemorrhoids only hurt exceptionally.

Rectal pain is most often caused by a rectal tear or fissura ani.
A longitudinal wound in the rectum can cause severe burning, stinging, stabbing pain.
The pain most often starts during defecation and can last for minutes or even hours afterwards.
Spasm of the sphincter muscle caused by the wound can further increase the patient’s pain.

Rectal pain is also caused by a blood clot in the venous network around the rectum.
In this case, the patient reports the appearance of a painful lump at the anus overnight.
The lesion most often develops after activities that involve a lot of abdominal pressure, such as hard physical work, childbirth, difficult defecation or diarrhoea.
The skin over the clot becomes inflamed, tight and watery and this constant tightness causes the pain.

A different type of pain is caused by an abscess around the rectum.
It is a tight, throbbing pain, often accompanied by fever and chills.
Seek medical advice as soon as possible!
Sometimes the abscess may burst spontaneously, draining pus, before the patient reaches the doctor.
It is very important that in all cases the abscess should be surgically opened, the pus drained and the cavity cleaned out.

When does the haemorrhoids themselves cause pain?
When the internal hemorrhoid nodules bulge out under a large abdominal pressure, the sphincter above them closes, forming a so-called hemorrhoid crisis.
This condition is associated with a great deal of pain.
Arterial inflow continues into the occluded haemorrhoid pads, while the sphincter muscle squeezes the thin-walled veins (which are much easier to squeeze than arteries).
A high degree of stasis develops, and in a short time the surface of the haemorrhoids may die from stretching, and in severe cases may even lead to a septic condition.
In any case, immediate medical intervention is necessary in case of a hemorrhagic crisis!

Other less common conditions can also cause rectal pain.
For example, inflammation of the anopapillaries in the rectum, which are found in everyone.
But very severe pain can also be caused by infection with the herpes virus.