When you hear the phrase “Pain in the butt”, you probably might be thinking about the fact that some things could be giving you a yard time. It could be, for example, a friend who has always been a pest or the fact that you are troubled by an incident.
However, there is something real that can be termed as a pain in the butt. This occurs when you are feeling pains around your buttocks area, and this can be quite painful. The pain can come in several forms such as shooting pain, an illness that screams cramps to your brain or a pain that makes you feel as if there is a paper clip stuck down there.
These pains can make you feel extremely uncomfortable, and it can make your day feel worse even before it even begins. No matter the type of pain, your first instinct is to get the pain out. You simply just want the uncomfortable feelings gone.
The essence of this article is to describe the causes of butt pain and how best you can get rid of them. This article gives you steps on how to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling hence you go about your day as usual with no more problems (at least not one from butt pain).
1. Your period could be the culprit
It’s that time of the month again that almost all women dread with a passion; however, it is a necessary prerequisite for childbearing. While on your period, there is a specific hormone that is released and this hormone is known as prostaglandin. Prostaglandin can be regarded as a hormone-like compound.
The importance of this prostaglandin is to ensure that the uterus contracts and this leads to you having menstrual cramps. Sometimes, these prostaglandins don’t only stay in the uterine area. They could easily stray into the bowel region causing your bowels to contract as well, and you can guess the end result- that’s right, poop.
Fun fact: Do you know that your period causes you to poop more than usual?
These prostaglandins as well are the reasons why it almost feels like you have diarrhoea during your period. It causes you to have watery stools which occur at short intervals causing you to lose fluids hence you having diarrhoea.
According to Dr Jennifer Gunter who is the M.D. and OB/GYN in San Francisco; she says that a sharp rise in the level of prostaglandin produced by the body during menstruation causes the woman to have stools that are looser than usual. This, therefore, leads to the urgent need always to use the bathroom which usually becomes more frequent with an equally increasing urgency.
These are all common effects that a woman experiences when there is a sudden surge in the production of prostaglandin in the body. Also, another result that prostaglandin brings which is due to the intense contracting of the uterus causing cramps is that these cramps can extend to your lower abdomen and butt region causing the pain you feel around your butt.
2. You just may have haemorrhoids
Haemorrhoids are caused or are seen to occur when there are varieties of enlarged blood vessels that are formed just above the rectum or the anal region. It had been a myth that only men develop haemorrhoids, however, ladies too can be victims of it as well.
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and kidney diseases, these cases are especially very common, and it can be relatively excruciating. Pregnant women are even more at risk of developing this condition, and that is because of the fragile state they are in.
Other people who can easily develop this disease conditions are those who have the tendency to sit down or stand up for long periods of time and people who easily develop constipation. There are two different types of, and they include external and internal haemorrhoids.
For external haemorrhoids, the patient will experience intense itching and severe pain around the anal region alongside the presence of an inflamed blood vessel otherwise known as a lump. While for internal haemorrhoids, the patient will experience intense rectal pain and may also experience severe bleeding.
Typically, haemorrhoids usually resolve themselves on their own; however, if it is as a result of an underlying condition, you just might need to pay a visit to your doctor for possible diagnosis and treatment.
If you notice that you have these intense pains and bleeding and it hasn’t gone away after one week, or if they occur frequently, then you should also pay a visit to your doctor for treatment.
3. You may have endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease condition that occurs as a result of the outgrowth of the internal lining of the uterus. In other words, there are tissues that line the interior surface of the uterus, and these tissues are known as the endometrial lining of the uterus. This is the same tissue that is shed during menstruation.
However, if these tissues start to grow outside the uterus instead of within the womb, then this condition is known as endometriosis. According to the office on women’s health, about 11% of women have endometriosis.
Most of the times, the tissues of the internal uterine lining is found on organs that are closely related to the uterus such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries and sometimes it is located directly on the outer surface of the uterus itself.
There are times it also grows and extends into the bowels. If this happens, it can cause intense and severe pains, and according to the American College of Obstetricians and gynaecologist, if it happens to start growing in the bowels, it can cause problems when the patient has bowel movements.
4. Genital herpes might be the culprit
Mainly in the human system, there are basically two kinds of herpes that can infect it and they include herpes simplex virus 1 and Herpes Simplex Virus 2. Herpes Simplex Virus 1 also known as HSV-1 brings about cold sores which are painful. Also, this virus is commonly seen in women.
The Herpes Simplex Virus 2 also known as the HSV-2 is a less common than the HSV-1. Another name for this virus is genital Herpes. This also just like HSV-1 causes cold sores which are likewise painful. Asides the cold sores, HSV-2 virus, causes blisters around your genital area as well as your anal region.
If you do notice the presence of sores around your genitals or around your anus, it is essential that you stay away from sex for some time while you use that period to get yourself and your sex partner(s) tested against sexually transmitted infections(STIs).
An important fact to note about herpes is that it doesn’t have a cure; however, there are ways in which it can successfully be managed. Most doctors do prescribe antiviral drugs to bring the number of outbreaks to a minimal level and likewise to effectively manage the situation in case of an epidemic by reducing the lifespan of the infection.
5. Anorectal abscesses and/or anal fissures
Anal fissures occur when there is a cut, cracks or a split in the lining that is found just close to the anal opening. I’m sure this sounds really unpleasant right? This is mostly due to the forceful production of very hard faeces, or sometimes it can be caused as a result of irritation from watery poop.
When there is a crack around the anus, the muscles there which control and regulate bowel movements become exposed to the external environment. Once this occurs, it causes a bleeding pain or an intense burning sensation anytime you are in the bathroom trying to pass out faeces.
This cut in the butt is painful and very visible; hence it is easy for a doctor to diagnose it via physical observation. According to the US National Library of Medicine, one of the causes of these cuts could be a disease known as Crohn’s disease. If this be the case, it is imperative that you avail yourself to undergo further testings and diagnosis for better treatment.
On the other hand, anorectal abscesses are mostly caused when the very tiny glands which are present around the internal lining of the anus become clogged. It can also be caused as a result of an infection of an anal fissure.
Once these abscesses occur, they become blocked with pus. This can be an excruciating condition. Once you observe that you have these pains, it is essential to visit your doctor in order to help you drain the abscess and get rid of the accumulated pus.
6. You may have sciatica
This name sound strange to you doesn’t it? Well, don’t let it be. Typically, there is a nerve around the thigh region known as the sciatic nerve. This never is a thick nerve that runs your lower back all the way down your thighs, down to your buttocks and finally ends in the foot.
The nerve is a very big, sensitive and vital nerve. This is the nerve that supplies almost all the muscles from your lower back all the way through your foot. When the nerve gets pricked by anything, it results into pain, and if the nerve is pierced around the butt, it will affect the nerve supply to those muscles, and hence, undoubtedly, you will begin to experience pain around that region.
According to Carrie Pagliano who is a board-certified clinical specialist in women’s physical therapy as well as the spokeswoman for the American Physical Therapy associations, she says that once there is an irritation around or on the sciatic nerve, you would feel as if a dog was already biting you in the butt and this can be quite painful. This condition is known as sciatica.
Asides the pain, due to the nature of the injury, the patient will experience numbness, a tickling sensation as well as burning or prickling sensation, are all common signs for the sciatica syndrome. If you are sure that that might be the cause for your butt pain, you need to go to the hospital for diagnosis and regular treatment.
7. You may have piriformis syndrome
Piriformis syndrome is quite similar to having sciatica; however, they are different in their unique ways. Piriformis syndrome happens to be a neuromuscular condition which is caused by a miscommunication and your other body parts that causes pains around the hips and the buttocks.
Basically, when you have piriformis syndrome, you would begin to experience intense spasms and cramping of the piriformis muscle. This muscle is a muscle that is found around the gluteal region especially just beneath the gluteus maximus muscle.
If whenever you move, you would experience a sharp pain that radiates all around your hip region, then you probably have the piriformis syndrome. According to Pagliano, most times the primary cause of this pain is due to back problems. Hence it is possible that you not only have pains in your hip region, but you may also experience spasms in your back muscles as well.
You can successfully manage piriformis syndrome by undergoing intense physical therapy, exercises, stretching and general muscle movement which is directly aimed at the muscles where the spasms are felt.
