Anal Pain
Anal pain is pain in your anus (bottom). It might be caused by haemorrhoids, anal fissures, muscle spasms or sensitive nerves – or the cause might be unknown. You might only have pain when passing a bowel motion, or perhaps you experience sharp, sudden pain.
Anal pain can be downright distressing, but it’s often not spoken about. Most people soldier on for years, unable to ask for help, feeling distressed and alone. It can impact many aspects of your life – from work and working out to social activities and even intimate relationships. You might hate the thought of any bowel action, find it hard to sit at work or be woken from sleep by sharp stabbing pains.
Don’t suffer in silence.
Our experienced post-grad physiotherapists can help treat this condition, so there’s no need to suffer in silence. Most people with anal pain can be helped. And at Pelvic Health Matters, Melbourne, we’re here to help you every step of the way.
Anal pain might be caused by haemorrhoids, anal fissures, muscle spasms or sensitive nerves – or the cause might be unknown. But the good news is that our post-grad physiotherapists can help treat it successfully.
Common signs & symptoms of anal pain
Not everyone experiences the same symptoms, but if you suffer from anal pain, you’re probably familiar with some of the following:
- Painful bowel movements
- Pain that lasts after a bowel action
- Struggling to sit through a meeting or movie
- Waking from sleep with sharp, stabbing pains
- Feeling anxious about going to the toilet
Risk factors & causes of anal pain
- Anal fissures
- Pelvic floor muscle spasm
- Constipation and straining
- Childbirth, i.e, perineal tear or episiotomy
- Anal fistula
- Sensitised nervous system
- Trauma
- Skin conditions
- Peri-anal abscess
- Proctalgia fugax
- Haemorrhoids
- Diarrhoea
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Surgery
- Fungal infections/STDs
Our Proven Pathway for Treating Anal Pain
Discover what matters
You’re assessed as a whole person
Our first step is getting to know you as a whole person – not just your symptoms. Your postgraduate qualified pelvic health physio will gather the following information:
- QUESTIONNAIRE: You’ll complete a pelvic health questionnaire online before your first visit. This helps us understand your history, current health concerns and what matters to you.
- 1-on-1 CONSULTATION: Here, we’ll take the time to learn about you and your anal pain. We believe a holistic approach enables us to understand how your specific physical, emotional and lifestyle factors influence your pelvic health.
- THOROUGH ASSESSMENT: This includes a pelvic floor examination, a bowel diary and questionnaires to understand your thoughts, feelings and environment.
- CONNECTING THE DOTS: Now that we’ve discovered so much about you and your anal pain, we can explore how it all fits together. You might learn how anal pain can persist even after a fissure has healed due to stool consistency, muscle spasm, sensitive nerves and worrying about having a bowel motion.
- SET GOALS: We’ll help you set meaningful pelvic health goals such as:
- Have an easy, pain-free bowel motion
- Reduce anal burning and pain
- Go out for dinner with my partner
Restore what matters
You’ll have a personalised pelvic health plan.
This is where we start the real work – together. We’ll choose the best research-proven treatment options that suit your lifestyle. You’ll learn how your bowel works and all about pain, what’s not working and what you can do to improve your bowel pain.
We start with pain management strategies, learning how to calm your nervous system. This could include breathing exercises, a movement practice or walking. Next, we’ll look at your Pelvic Floor. You’ll learn new skills and connect with hidden muscles that you didn’t know you had. You’ll have an individualised program based on your needs and learn how to relax your pelvic floor. We’ll also ensure you can comfortably and effectively empty your bowel. Plus, we’ll give you excellent resources and tools to help you progress.
ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENTS: Together, we’ll work out how often we should see each other. We’ll agree on what works best for you, your commitments and your finances.
Enjoy what matters
You’ll be living your best life.
By Step 3, we want to ensure that you can enjoy what matters to you – to achieve all the meaningful goals that you set in the beginning. Now that you’re no longer constantly dealing with pain, you might feel calmer and have the headspace to take on new possibilities. You might start a new fitness activity, finish that degree – or simply enjoy going to the movies with friends.
With your newfound skills, you’ll be able to manage and alleviate pain in all situations, without always running back for appointments.
If life takes an unexpected turn, that’s okay – we're always here if you need to return for a reset. You might have been under a lot of stress, or have a change in bowel habits, causing a flare in pain. Whatever the reason, we’ll always be here to help you.
Read about Anna 34 yrs, Carmel 28 yrs, Pallav 46 yrs, Eddie 25 yrs
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Pelvic Health Matters
New name.
Same exceptional care.
Formerly known as Women’s & Men’s Health Physiotherapy, our new name reflects both what we believe in and what we do. We have an unwavering belief that pelvic health matters for everyone, at every stage of life.
Same phone number: 03 8823 8300
New email: physio@pelvichealth.com.au