Rectal pain

Rectal pain refers to discomfort felt in the rectal area. Medical literature has recorded 68 distinct causes for this symptom. A very frequent cause of rectal pain is an anal fissure, which is a tear in the anal canal, likely resulting from trauma during bowel movements. Standard treatment involves sitz baths, stool softeners, and pain relievers.

Two other common sources of functional anorectal pain are levator ani syndrome (LAS) and proctalgia fugax. Both conditions are believed to stem from muscle spasms—of the levator ani muscle or the anal sphincter, respectively. Their symptoms can overlap with a rarer condition called coccygodynia, which arises from prior injury to the coccyx bone. Stress, prolonged sitting, and constipation are associated with LAS.

About 90% of people reporting chronic episodes of this type of pain are women. Some researchers classify these conditions as "tension myalgia of the pelvic floor." Fewer than one-third of those affected seek medical care. Treatment may include antispasmodic medications and down-training, a technique that involves consciously relaxing previously unconscious muscle movements to reduce or prevent spasms.

An anorectal abscess is an infection that creates a pus-filled pocket in the tissues around the anus. It is managed surgically through incision and drainage. Bacterial, viral, and protozoal infections can occur in the area surrounding the rectum, sometimes as a result of a sexually transmitted infection. Additional causes include hemorrhoids or a rectal foreign body.