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Discontinue discomfort in the chair
Pain during bowel movements can be an expression of various illnesses or injuries. Information about the development and course of the complaints and other symptoms are necessary in order to narrow down the possible causes and finally to secure the diagnosis with specific examinations. The possible causes of painful bowel movements and the respective treatment approaches are outlined below.
Stool pain - a brief overview
Pain that occurs during bowel movements is medically summarized under the term "proctalgia". This means diseases of the anal or anal region, which are often based on irritation or injury to the sensitive anal mucosa. Here is a brief overview of the symptoms:
- Synonyms: Anal complaints, anal complaints, proctalgia, defecation pain
- Symptoms: Crampy abdominal pain, itching, the stool has unusual consistency or color, stinging and burning pain before, during and / or after defecation, bloated stomach, fatigue, exhaustion, unwanted weight loss.
- Possible causes: Spicy food, constipation, diarrhea, injuries or tears in the anal mucosa, inflammation, eczema, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.
- diagnosis: The specialist for this area is the proctologist. Possible diagnostic methods are, for example, rectoscopy, colonoscopy, smears, examination of tissue samples taken and blood test.
- treatment: The treatment depends heavily on the underlying disease. Many complaints use ointments, suppositories and enemas that contain analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents.
- Natural treatment: Warm hip baths with chamomile or tea tree oil extracts and for stress-related problems with bowel movements, there are numerous methods for reducing stress.
Discomfort when defecating
The process of developing stool problems usually begins slowly. Initially, those affected notice occasional pain when using the toilet or are frequently plagued by an itch. Burning and stinging pain during bowel movements are characteristic. The occasional pain may increase over time and occur more often until it finally becomes so severe that the stool is emptied only with severe discomfort. Many sufferers therefore delay using the toilet, which in turn can worsen the symptoms or trigger new symptoms.
Constipation as the cause
Normally, human droppings have a soft to medium-hard consistency. In case of constipation (constipation), the hardened stool can cause irritation and skin tears in the anal region. Affected people can only remove the stool with strong pressing, which promotes the formation of small cracks in the intestinal mucosa (anal fissures). Such anal fissures can also result from the action of foreign bodies (e.g. anal intercourse). The fissures can also show up in blood in the stool or blood on the anus.
Change lifestyle
If you want to get rid of constipation permanently, you have to change your lifestyle in most cases. This includes getting enough exercise, eating whole foods with a high percentage of fiber and making sure you drink enough. Dietary fiber is found in cereals and cereal products such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and whole wheat rice, but also in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Proven home remedies for constipation
Effective home remedies for constipation are flax seeds, wheat bran and psyllium. These can boost digestion and make the stool softer. It is important that they are taken with sufficient liquid, otherwise the symptoms may be aggravated or even an intestinal obstruction may occur. Stress reduction methods such as autogenic training or yoga can also have a positive effect on digestion. A tablespoon of radish or dandelion juice from the health food store mixed in a glass of water is suitable for draining. This can be drunk in the morning, at noon and in the evening after meals.
Acute and chronic intestinal inflammation
Pain during bowel movements often manifests itself in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD; such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) in the acute episode as a persistent painful urge to stool (tenesmen). In addition, the typical clinical picture shows with diarrhea and mucus and / or blood admixtures. Similar symptoms also occur with proctitis (rectal inflammation).
Anal abscesses, fistulas and eczema
A purulent abscess in the anal area can form a painful focus of inflammation, which can cause severe pain when using the toilet. As a result of such an abscess, anal fistulas can also form. These are inflammatory, tubular ducts in the rectum. Eczema in the intestine can also cause pain during bowel movements. Anal eczema is severe inflammation of the anus, which is often manifested by an itchy rash.
Hemorrhoids
It is not uncommon for hemorrhoids to cause anus pain. These are arteriovenous vascular pads that form in the anal canal. Hemorrhoids are normal components of the digestive system, but can become pathological if there is a blood congestion. If these hemorrhoid pads swell, timely therapy is important. The swelling leads to the typical symptoms such as anus pain, itchy anus, bleeding, burning in the anus and uncomfortable pressure pain.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by chronic intestinal complaints such as abdominal pain and flatulence. In many cases, changes in bowel movements also occur. In contrast to the other causes, irritable bowel syndrome cannot be assigned precise causes. Abdominal pain that softens after bowel movements, as well as alternating episodes of diarrhea and constipation, can indicate such a syndrome.
A tumor as a cause of stool pain
In rare cases, cancers are responsible for the after pain. Anal carcinoma, in addition to painful bowel movements, often shows itching in the anal area (pruritus ani). Blood deposits, incontinence and changes in stool habits are also described. In rectal cancer (rectal cancer), in addition to pain and blood build-up, a worsened general condition, weight loss and possible pain in the lower back (low back pain) are noticed.
Other possible causes
Furthermore, some sexual diseases such as syphilis or genital warts can cause pain when dropping the faeces. Even with diarrhea, the intestinal mucous membranes can react irritably. If you have eaten too spicy, you may also feel an afterburn during digestion.
When should a doctor be contacted?
Pain in the anal area is perceived as embarrassing by many sufferers and is often kept secret. Occasional constipation or diarrhea are no cause for concern if these symptoms disappear after a short time. If these symptoms persist for a long time or if blood is observed in the stool, it is strongly recommended that a specialist examination be carried out. This can begin with the family doctor, who will refer the patient to a proctologist or internist if necessary.
Therapy options
For many complaints in the anal area, ointments, suppositories or enemas are used that contain analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents such as cortisone, lidocaine and witch hazel. After consultation with the doctor, medications such as laxatives or so-called prokinetics are also used. In some cases, a small surgical intervention is also possible, for example to remove hemorrhoids or inflammation foci, since in the worst case these could lead to blood poisoning (sepsis). If cancer is the cause, extensive treatment is required, which may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Naturopathic approaches
After a malignant disease has been ruled out, constipation, anal fissures and hemorrhoids can be relieved or even cured using naturopathic procedures. The naturopathic approaches can also be used complementarily for the more serious diseases. For example, warm hip baths with chamomile extracts or tea tree oil have proven their worth as hair remedies for after-itch. Since some stool complaints can also result from too much stress, methods to reduce stress often help in such cases. These include, for example:
- Autogenic training,
- Progressive muscle relaxation,
- Yoga,
- Meditation,
- Hypnotherapy,
- Tai Chi,
- Qigong,
- an anti-stress cure with Schüßler salts.
Preventive measures
To prevent pain during bowel movements, a high-fiber diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is suitable. You should also drink enough liquid (general recommendation: two to three liters of water). In addition, regular exercise is important. In addition, the bowel movement should not be suppressed, but a toilet should be visited as soon as possible. A soft toilet paper can help to avoid irritating the sensitive skin on the anus unnecessarily. Good intimate hygiene reduces the germ density, which can lead to inflammation. (jvs, vb;)
Further information
- Black bowel movements - causes and treatment
- Light bowel movements
- Fat stool: causes and therapy
- Hard bowel movements - causes, symptoms and quick help
- Pencil chair causes and treatment
- Watery stool: watery diarrhea - causes and therapy
- Intestinal sluggishness - causes, symptoms and therapy
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the specifications of the medical literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical doctors.
Graduate editor (FH) Volker Blasek
Swell:
- Parswa Ansari: Hemorrhoids, MSD Manual, (accessed 08/22/2019), MSD
- P. Layer et al .: S3 guideline irritable bowel syndrome: definition, pathophysiology, diagnostics and therapy, German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS), German Society for Neurogastroenterology and Motility (DGNM), (accessed 22.08.2019), AWMF
- Norton J. Greenberger: Opstipation, MSD Manual, (accessed August 22, 2019), MSD
- Norton J. Greenberger: Diarrhea, MSD Manual, (accessed August 22, 2019), MSD
- John Henry Clarke: Diseases of the Digestive Organs, Ahlbrecht Verlag, 1st edition, 2013
