We see many clients who experience pain after having a bowel movement. The pain might occur in their lower or upper tailbone, the perineum or rectum after a bowel movement. If anything serious has been ruled out by a colorectal doctor, chances are the muscles of the pelvic floor are playing a role in the pain after a bowel movement.
If there’s no clear medical cause for your pain, the muscles of the pelvic floor are likely the culprit. The pelvic floor muscles line the bottom of the pelvis, including the rectal area, where the stool comes out. If your pelvic floor muscles are really tight, it will contract, making the hole smaller, and not allow things to go out, such as a bowel movement.
So, when you are trying to go to the bathroom, you can have significant pain either while the stool is trying to exit the rectum or about an hour or so after, if the muscles start to spasm.
Fissures can be connected to tightness in the pelvic floor musculature. These are tiny rips around the rectum and they cause searing pain around the rectum when you’re going to the bathroom. Fissures could be having difficulty healing because of the tightness in this area that makes it difficult for the bowel movement to come out.
Are you experiencing pain after a bowel movement? Click here to set up a complimentary phone consultation with one of our pelvic floor physical therapists.
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