Medically reviewed by Sonal Kumar, MD Key Takeaways Levator ani syndrome causes rectal or vaginal pain due to muscle spasms in the pelvic floor.  You can relieve levator ani syndrome pain with sitz ...

Rectal pain is common and has many possible causes, including hemorrhoids, fecal impaction, inflammatory bowel disease, and proctitis (inflammation of the rectum’s lining). Most cases are not serious, ...

A rectal ulcer happens when one or more of the mucus layers that line the rectum are injured or damaged, resulting in a painful sore. Your rectum is the last few inches of your large intestine (colon) ...

Jay N. Yepuri, MD, MS, FACG, is a board-certified gastroenterologist and member of the Digestive Health Associates of Texas Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Proctalgia fugax causes short ...

Fecal impaction refers to a mass of hardened stools in the colon or rectum. This obstruction can make it extremely difficult for a person to pass stools and may cause symptoms such as abdominal ...

It’s never a great feeling to have pain anywhere in your body. But it can be especially anxiety-inducing when you have pain in your lower left abdomen. After all, lots of important organs are housed ...

Blood in your stool may be due to a number of factors, such as straining to poop, anal fissures, and hemorrhoids. Treatment depends on the specific cause of your constipation and bleeding. Many people ...

Rectal cancer is cancer that begins in the rectum. Its symptoms include bloody stool, bowel pain, and constipation. The outlook for people with this form of cancer is very good in its early stages but ...

Hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable for people to talk about, but they’re more uncomfortable to endure without treatment.

Hemorrhoids are a common condition that affects about half of all people by age fifty. Although hemorrhoids are usually harmless, some worry that they may be a sign of cancer. While certain symptoms ...