Painful bowel movements

When both women and men are temporarily or permanently under Painful bowel movements suffer, then this can lead to an enormous reduction in wellbeing and quality of life.

What is bowel movement pain?

Pain during bowel movements is more common than many people assume. Unfortunately, for reasons of shame and embarrassment, these are usually hidden and those affected suffer silently. Basically, pain during bowel movements is very important in medicine. Pain during bowel movements occurs when the bowel is emptied when the feces emerge from the anus.

The pain is sometimes so unbearable that patients avoid going to the toilet for as long as possible. Under these conditions, pain during bowel movements can lead to further sequelae that affect the general well-being to a greater or lesser extent.

causes

Going to the bathroom is a natural necessity that can be associated with painful bowel movements in a variety of health conditions. In the majority of cases, the affected patients suffered injuries to the anus. In the form of so-called anal fissures, these lead to extreme pain when defecating.

In addition, abscesses around the anus, existing hemorrhoids, or stool that is too firm are the causes of painful bowel movements.

Various organic diseases of the rectum are also characterized by painful bowel movements. Sometimes the formation of thromboses, small blood clots in the vessels of the anus, causes pain during bowel movements. Anal cancer, rectal cancer, some sexually transmitted diseases, as well as diarrhea or constipation cause pain during bowel movements.

Diseases with this symptom

• hemorrhoids
• Colon cancer
• hernia

• thrombosis
• Diverticulitis
• Anal fissure

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Intestinal polyps
• Perineal tear

course

At the beginning of the pain during bowel movements, these are only observed occasionally. An excruciating itching, however, indicates existing impairments of the anus and the rectum. Over time, if the stool continues to be hard, or if the causal triggers persist, the pain in bowel movements becomes increasingly severe.

In the anal region, those affected feel a burning and stabbing pain when defecating, which makes it almost impossible to pass stool and this can only be realized with severe discomfort.

Complications

For many people, pain when defecating ensures that the urge to defecate is held back. However, this can lead to far-reaching complications. On the one hand, holding the chair ensures that it is further thickened. This creates a blockage. However, pressing out hard stool causes pain again.

Hard, large masses of feces can lead to another complication: the development of so-called anal fissures. These are the smallest tears in the anus mucous membrane. These can be so tiny that they don't have to be visible to the naked eye. Nevertheless, they can lead to very great pain when pressing.

Anal fissures are also a reason why people consciously or unconsciously try to comply with the normal urge to defecate.If you get used to this behavior over a longer period of time and only deposit small amounts of feces, the complication that develops is chronic constipation. This can also lead to so-called feces. This refers to stone-like hardened excrement masses that have remained in the intestine for a long period of time.

If necessary, these must be surgically removed. Such complications can be prevented by discussing bowel habits with a specialist at the first signs of pain when defecating. If the problem occurs again and only for a short time, gentle laxatives can also help and thus prevent complications such as constipation, fissures and fecal stones.

When should you go to the doctor?

Pain during bowel movements is taboo for many people. A visit to the doctor is often delayed or even avoided entirely. In fact, going to the family doctor is not always necessary. If the cause of the painful bowel movement is a one-time constipation, for example, this problem often resolves itself either by itself or with the help of classic home remedies.

Sometimes hard stool (especially if it occurs regularly) leads to hemorrhoids, thrombosis of the anal veins or anal fissure, which is accompanied by sharp pain and bleeding. A visit to the family doctor makes sense here. This clarifies the cause of the pain during bowel movements, possibly with the help of a referral to a proctologist or internist. A further visit to the doctor is often not necessary afterwards.

Advice and, if necessary, therapy by a doctor is only recommended if complications arise. Such events include painful anal vein thrombosis, which is noticeable as a bluish, elastic nodule on the anus, or poorly healing fissures. An abscess in the anal region that causes pain when defecating or when sitting should also be briefly opened by a specialist under sterile conditions in order to quickly and effectively provide the patient with noticeable relief. Painful hemorrhoids that need to be pushed back into the anal canal by hand should also be discussed with the doctor.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Treatment & Therapy

The pain during bowel movements can be treated using conventional medicine and alternative healing methods. Which forms of therapy the person concerned would like to use depends on their individual attitude and the extent of the symptoms. If the pain during bowel movements is so intense that it only allows bowel movements with extreme agony, then surgical measures may usually be necessary after an appropriate diagnosis has been made.

If the cause analysis reveals an existing constipation within the scope of the diagnostic possibilities, then drugs are administered which prevent pain during bowel movements by liquefying the stool. An abundant intake of fluids and a diet rich in fiber, as well as physical activity, are often recommended to accompany therapy.

Quickly effective and soothing ointments are suitable as external applications for painful bowel movements. These fight the inflammation and relieve the pain during bowel movements locally. Antibiotic drugs, cortisone, lidocaine or witch hazel are considered enormously gentle and extremely effective drugs that quickly relieve pain during bowel movements. Sitz baths with appropriate additives that help relieve pain during bowel movements in a natural way are also recommended.

In addition, enema and suppositories are also considered successful treatments for painful bowel movements. Further treatments, depending on the diagnostic results, include sclerotherapy of hemorrhoids, surgical removal of abnormal nodules, and chemotherapy or radiation treatment for pain-inducing tumor tissue. These mostly occur on the rectum and show different symptoms, including pain when defecating.

Outlook & forecast

The exact course of pain when defecating can only be predicted very imprecisely, as the cause must first be clarified. If the pain is caused by too hard a bowel movement, it may well lead to an anal fissure if left untreated. These are tears in the anus area, which in rare cases can even be seriously inflamed. If an abscess develops, a visit to the doctor is inevitable. Otherwise there is a risk of blood poisoning, which can even lead to death.

However, the consistency of the stool can be changed by taking appropriate medication, so that the pain should subside within a very short time. In particularly severe cases, the pain can also be triggered by a tumor in the intestine. Don't expect the worst right away, but watch the pain and see a doctor if it is long-lasting and not caused by a fissure or intolerance.

If the pain during bowel movements is triggered by a food intolerance, the process is very simple and simple: As soon as the digestion process of the relevant food is completely finished, the pain should also completely disappear. This process usually takes a maximum of 24 hours.

prevention

Pain during bowel movements is extremely uncomfortable and can be avoided by living a healthy lifestyle. If the causes are pathological, a preventive measure is an immediate clarification of the pain during bowel movements by a proctologist.

A balanced diet, in which a lot of fiber is consumed, stimulates bowel activity and promotes painless bowel movements. With a sufficient supply of fluids, there is no solidification of the manure in the form of constipation.

Sensible intimate hygiene through moist paper and the use of toilet paper that does not irritate the skin prevent injuries to the anus and thus pain when defecating.

You can do that yourself

Pain during bowel movements is unfortunately not uncommon in the western world and is related to diet. They are mostly due to constipation, as hard stools understandably cause pain when defecating. For a quick remedy, it is advisable to consume a handful of plums. This softens the stool, which is why you shouldn't eat too many plums at once. A gentle, low-dose laxative can also be tried. However, medication should not become the norm.

A change in diet is permanently helpful against painful bowel movements. Less fat and ready meals, but more fiber from fruits, vegetables and freshly prepared food ensures a healthy consistency of the stool. However, it can take a few weeks for a change in diet to have a noticeable and permanent effect, as the metabolism first has to get used to the changed circumstances. Soon, however, the pain when defecating becomes much less and occurs less frequently. In general, it should also be mentioned that sufficient fluid intake must always be ensured. This promotes easier and faster removal of the stool.

In an emergency, it can help to squat on the toilet, as this tenses the right muscles. In practice, this can be done by pulling in your knees. It can also help to try a different posture, such as leaning to one side. However, you shouldn't lean forwards or backwards, as these are definitely not healthy positions for defecating.