4 Common Causes of Anal Pain

Most people find it difficult to talk about health issues that involve very private parts of the body. Instead, they turn to the internet to find the answers they need, like "What's causing my anal pain?"

If you're sitting on the toilet reading this, you may have the answer you want. Sitting on the toilet for extended periods places pressure on the veins in the lower rectum, leading to hemorrhoids. But hemorrhoids aren't the only cause of anal pain. 

At Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center in Town and Country, Missouri, our anal pain expert, Dr. Betsy Clemens, wants to share with you some of the common causes of anal pain, signs and symptoms, and how they're treated.

Read on to learn what might make simple activities like sitting uncomfortable for you.

1. Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are enlarged or swollen rectal veins. You can have hemorrhoids and not have any problems. But they may cause anal pain if you have a thrombosed hemorrhoid — when a blood clot forms in an external hemorrhoid.

Thrombosed hemorrhoids cause sudden and severe anal pain that makes it nearly impossible to sit. You may also feel the hard lump of the clotted blood. 

We perform an in-office external thrombectomy to remove the blood clot from the hemorrhoid, reducing pain. 

2. Anal fissure

Do you have severe, prolonged anal pain during and after a bowel movement? You may have an anal fissure, a tear in the highly sensitive anal tissue.

Any trauma to the anus may cause the tear. The severe and ongoing pain occurs from muscle spasms involving the anal sphincter triggered by a bowel movement.

Sitz baths and time are the primary treatments for anal fissures. Though going to the bathroom feels like torture when you have an anal fissure, you want to keep your bowel movements soft and regular to minimize straining and re-injury of the tissue. 

3. Anal abscess

An anal abscess is a pus-filled bump that forms in or around the anus. It occurs when an anal gland gets clogged and becomes infected. Anal pain and rectal bleeding are some of the symptoms you may have with an anal abscess.

Treatment may include abscess drainage, antibiotics, sitz baths, and stool softeners. You need medical care for an anal abscess to reduce the risk of your infection turning into an anal fistula, tunneling through the anal tissue. 

4. Skin condition

Skin conditions like psoriasis or dermatitis may affect any part of the body, including the anus. These conditions may cause pain, itching, and bleeding that comes and goes. Treatment depends on the cause.

Though hemorrhoids are a common cause of anal pain, it’s not the only problem that affects the sensitive part of the body. Before self-diagnosing and spending time and money on ineffective treatments, call our office at 314-669-2758 to schedule a consultation with our rectal disorder expert. Dr. Clemens can quickly diagnose the cause of your anal pain and put you on the right treatment plan.