Today we would like to discuss a sensitive issue. The work of the gastrointestinal tract in many respects determines our well-being, vitality and good mood. Moreover, it is important not only proper nutrition, but also stable emptying, so that the body does not send waste products. It is very good if you have never encountered such problems, and the morning toilet does not cause unpleasant associations. But most people know firsthand what constitutes a spasm of the sphincter of the rectum. Symptoms are extremely unpleasant, it is pain and bursting in the lower abdomen, which are difficult to cope without taking antispasmodic drugs. Today we will talk about this phenomenon and how to deal with it in a little more detail.
A little bit about physiological features
What is a rectal sphincter? This is a muscle element. It is located directly in the rectum and is designed to regulate the excretion of feces. On the one hand, it performs a locking function, and when there is a sufficient accumulation of masses it opens. This is usually a controlled process. The sphincter of the rectum opens exclusively in the right place (in the toilet), and not on the way home from work.
In order for the sphincter to work smoothly, its surface is lined with a large number of receptor cells, and the inside is the smooth muscle that forms the ring. While the child is small, it works in a natural mode, that is, immediately after the need arises, bowel movements follow. As they grow older and become accustomed to the pot, the sphincter of the rectum becomes more trained, effectively restraining feces and gases.
What is a sphincter spasm
This is not a disease, but only its manifestation, so doctors will have to conduct a full diagnosis to determine what caused this phenomenon. And we will start by telling what characterizes the spasm of the sphincter of the rectum. Symptoms are primarily pain. It does not cause inflammation, but a painful compression of the muscles, which has a psychological or somatogenic nature underneath.
A similar picture is typical for most proctological pathologies, therefore, if doctors talk about spasm of the sphincter of the rectum, then they mean that there are no organic lesions of this segment of the intestine. That is, there is pain of an undiagnosed etiology.
Features of the disease
Complex is not only the diagnosis. Diseases with such symptoms usually last a long time and quite hard. We cannot stop the intestines during its treatment, even with a sparing diet, the load on it still remains. And constant pain, which is difficult to remove even with strong drugs, is debilitating physically and psychologically. Often terrible diagnoses come to a person’s mind, most often of an oncological nature, which further aggravates his condition.
Symptom Details
How can you suspect that you have a spasm of the rectum spasm? Simple enough. Strong, paroxysmal pain will not make a mistake. The following symptoms are observed:
- Acute pain of paroxysmal nature, which gives to the perineum. In this regard, patients tend to attribute the symptoms to chronic renal diseases, problems of the pelvic organs.
- Please note that pain may accompany the bowel movement or occur separately from it.
- Most often, after taking a bath, the pain subsides significantly, although it may not completely disappear.
- An important point is the cause of the spasm. This is the key to the solution, as well as the appointment of adequate treatment. Most often, it is not even somatogenic diseases that provoke him, but psycho-emotional ones: experiences, chronic stress and neurological problems, as well as inadequate physical exertion.
What everyone needs to know
We have already touched upon this issue a little, but it is extremely important to deal with this point in more detail. Treatment of the sphincter of the rectum, or rather its effectiveness, depends on how much the doctor has figured out the reasons. What causes a spasm? This is a contraction of smooth muscles. This may involve the external or internal sphincter. But this is half the trouble. When smooth muscle is contracted, pulling, sometimes throbbing pains occur, varying in duration and intensity, as nerves and blood vessels are compressed.
Most often, this pathology occurs in middle-aged people. At the same time, there is no division into men and women; Why is this section of the intestine prone to spasms? This is due to good innervation. What can be attributed here:
- constipation
- inflammation
- violation of the integrity of the mucosa;
- varicose veins or blood vessels.
As a result, the patient feels severe pain, which is difficult to correct with medication.
Risk group
Before talking about how to relieve spasm of the sphincter of the rectum, we will stop at one more point. There is a certain group of patients in whom the risk of this pathology is more likely. These are the people:
- mentally unbalanced;
- suffering from CNS pathology.
As a result of the above pathologies, a spasm of the anus develops , which enhances emotional lability and, as a result, pain. In addition, this syndrome can be caused by various disorders of innervation. This is a consequence of injuries or difficult births. Often, a spasm of anal sphincters develops in emotionally unstable women. Men fall into this category less often, although gender, as we have already mentioned, is not predominant.
Types of Cramps
Most often, problems arise when the internal sphincter of the rectum is spasmodic. First of all, they can be divided by the time of the attack:
- fast passing;
- long lasting.
Usually a mild pathology is simultaneously passing quickly. At the same time, serious preparations are not required to alleviate the condition. Violation manifests itself in the form of sudden pulling or stitching pains. Very often, patients feel severe discomfort in the perineum. Moreover, some of them begin to treat the fictitious diseases of the prostate, kidneys and uterus to no avail. Once again, I want to remind you that any therapy begins with an adequate diagnosis. Without it, it is not only not effective, but also dangerous.
Long pains of unknown etiology practically do not respond to analgesia, and seizures can go on for several days. Moreover, an uneven course is characteristic, after a while the frequency of seizures increases. Moreover, the factors that cause exacerbation of pain are not fully defined. However, doctors have long noted that the emotional state of the patient greatly affects the condition of his intestines. Stress and anxiety instantly cause a worsening of the situation.
There is a classification according to the etiological factor. In this case, allocate:
- Primary spasms. If you compare the two photos of the sphincter of the rectum - spasmodic and absolutely healthy - you can see that they are not much different. In our case, this is just a muscle spasm, which most often develops against a background of stress and disappears after the situation returns to normal.
- Secondary. This violation does not appear by itself, but develops against the background of certain rectal pathologies. These include hemorrhoids and fissures, Crohn's disease and tumors in the anal canal.
Any problems with the intestines require attention, timely consultation with specialists. The sooner the cause is determined, the more effective the therapeutic effect will be.
The first trip to the doctor
It all starts with an examination. An important role is played by the collection of anamnesis. Quite often, primary diseases are determined in patients, which led to such a development of events. These are injuries and various operations. More often, the root cause is diseases of the rectum and genitourinary system. Do not forget that the smooth muscle of our body is interconnected, therefore, primary proctology is combined with muscle spasms of other organs. What diagnostics includes:
- visual inspection;
- palpation of the anus;
- examination of the walls of the rectum;
- colon examination with colonoscopy.
What to do
Since removing the spasm of the sphincter of the rectum overnight does not work, you will have to follow a number of doctor's recommendations in order to achieve improvement. The choice of treatment methods will depend on the general and psychological state of the patient, the presence of somatic diseases.
But the first task of the doctor is to relieve spasm of the sphincter of the rectum. Treatment should begin with the elimination of the violation and the elimination of inflammation. For this purpose, antispasmodics and pain medications are prescribed. If necessary, antibacterial agents are prescribed, and with constipation, laxatives.
Sphincter Relaxation
This is the goal of the patient and the doctor, which is not always easy to achieve with the help of only medicines. Very well in this case, thermal procedures, as well as physiotherapeutic methods of treatment, help. In parallel, it is absolutely necessary to carry out anesthesia with antispasmodics and painkillers. It is best to use Relief Advance, Procto-Glivenolum, Venoruton, Ultraprokt, Prosterizan Forte, candles with belladonna and sea buckthorn oil. Of the antispasmodics, “No-spa” is most often used, as well as warm sitz baths.
Solving constipation problems
It is very important to pay close attention to the toilet. It is imperative to keep the anus area perfectly clean. Every morning you need to wash yourself with a shower. It is good to repeat the procedure after each act of defecation, so as not to irritate the mucosa with friction. Proper diet is one of the most important factors. Food should be as sparing as possible in order to reduce the load on the non-digestive tract. Everything is quite simple here: fatty, sweet, fried and spicy should be excluded from the diet. The basis is soups and lean cereals, baked fruits and vegetables. Observe drinking regimen.
Surgery
If an alternative treatment does not work, then more radical measures will have to be chosen. At first, doctors use various drugs, as well as conservative methods of treatment. If seizures become more frequent, and severe complications also join, then there is no choice. In this case, they resort to surgical intervention - sphincterotomy. It consists in partial excision of the muscles of the anal sphincter. This leads to smooth muscles relaxing, and the pain is greatly reduced. The reason is not eliminated, but still the patient gets a good result.
Alternative methods of treatment
If the situation has not gone too far, then you can use herbal medicine recipes. In this case, it is recommended to treat spasms of the anal sphincter with decoctions of herbs or a solution of potassium permanganate. The treatment regimen includes enemas and microclysters, tampons and suppositories.
It’s easy to prepare sitz baths. To do this, type a little warm water in the basin, add potassium permanganate. The procedure must be repeated for at least 7-10 days. Baths with decoction or infusion of medicinal plants, which have an antispasmodic or soothing effect, also help. This is chamomile and yarrow, St. John's wort and oak bark, calendula. Plants can be mixed together or alternated. A decoction of medicinal herbs is used to prepare enemas and tampons.
Sphincter weakness
This is the exact opposite of the situation that we examined above. If before that we discussed how to relax the sphincter of the rectum, normalize the waste of gases and feces and relieve pain, now we need to pay attention to what to do when loosening the same locking ring. A weak rectal sphincter leads to the incontinence of gases, liquid or solid feces.
Treatment requires consideration of individual characteristics of a person, as well as violations. As a rule, if the sphincter of the rectum is relaxed, a special diet, electrical stimulation and physiotherapy exercises are prescribed. Drug therapy in this case should be aimed at the treatment of inflammatory diseases and dysbiosis.
If the sphincter is weakened due to organic reasons, surgical intervention, namely sphincteroplasty, is necessary. After this operation, long-term rehabilitation treatment is required with a mandatory diet.
Instead of a conclusion
The health of our intestines is largely dependent on us. The right diet, the optimal ratio of physical activity and rest, avoiding serious stresses - all these are the main methods of preventing diseases of the digestive system in general and the intestines in particular. Excessive stress, as well as the weakness of the sphincter of the rectum, can be the result of a number of serious ailments, each of which requires careful attention and medical support.