What causes anal pain? Although this is a common symptom, it doesn’t always have a common cause; a wide array of medical concerns may lead to pain in the anus, and understanding the differences between them is essential to get the treatment you need and not miss a serious cause such as anal cancer and/or colon and rectal cancer.

The most common source of anal pain is a condition known as anal fissure, which is a tear in the wall itself. Anal fissure is an extraordinarily painful condition which tends to remain acute long after bowel movements are complete, greatly interfering with a patient’s quality of life. Typically, 90% of anal fissures occur in the posterior midline (towards the spine) and less than 10 % occur in the anterior midline (towards the genitals). Anal fissures that occur on the left or right lateral wall of the anal canal are more worrisome and should be investigated further for cause such as inflammatory bowel disease, HIV and TB to name a few.

But some other causes can include everything from anal cancer and anal abscess to fistulas, anal warts, and rectal abscess. Additionally, thrombosed external hemorrhoids are also very painful making it very difficult to sit, stand, walk and off course have a bowel movement. Last, prolapsing internal hemorrhoids or internal hemorrhoids that actually prolapse or protrude outside of the anal opening can be very painful and may because strangulated and necrotic, making it a surgical emergency.

When you visit your LA proctologist, you’ll get a full workup to diagnose your anal pain and provide a path to recovery. That path may include anything from recommended changes in diet, to topical treatments, to anal surgery and/or hemorrhoid surgery (hemorrhoidectomy) to resolve the root cause of your pain.

If you’re experiencing anal pain and want to see the best proctologist in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, start here.