What Causes Rectal Muscle Spasms?

Last Editorial Review: 1/11/2018

Ask the experts

Hello, this past May, I had an abdominal problem which resulted in a great deal of pain. After a visit to the hospital, appendicitis and kidney stones were ruled out. The problem itself dissipated after a few days, but as a result I was constipated for about a week. During this time, I experienced a sharp pain in my muscle near my rectum during a bowel movement. Even though I have not had a problem since, I still experience discomfort from this muscle, especially when I am sitting. The muscle that is sore is along my pelvic bone, where the muscles of the buttock and leg join, roughly 1 to 2 inches below my testicles. I do not feel a lump (i.e. hernia), and it feels sore, like a pulled muscle, but it hasn't gone away over the past four months. What could be the problem?

Doctor's response

The causes of rectal pain are many, with the most common ones being hemorrhoids or anal fissures (breaks or tears in the skin at the edge of the anus). Less common conditions are coccygodynia which is pain at the lower tip of the spine due to an abnormal position of the coccyx or proctalgia fugax which is periodic unexplained spasm of rectal muscle. We recommend that you visit a gastroenterologist or a proctologist for diagnosis and treatment.

proctologist for diagnosis and treatment.

Thank you for your question.

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