Imagine: you are sleeping peacefully, the night drags on slowly, when suddenly a sharp pain wakes you up. And not just any pain: anal pain, like a stab… very badly placed. Gastroenterologist Pauline Guillouche wanted to talk about this pain frankly on Instagram, as it is so common.
Proctalgia fugax, a mysterious anal spasm
This phenomenon (which we often hesitate to talk about in the early morning) has a name: proctalgia fugax. Behind this term, a still mysterious illness, like a cramp: “The most likely mechanism is a sudden spasm of the internal anal sphincter, a muscle normally responsible for maintaining continence” underlines the expert.
The painful attack usually lasts a few seconds to a few minutes, more rarely up to an hour, then disappears spontaneously. Between two episodes, the “victim” no longer feels any symptoms: no residual pain, no discomfort, no visible signs.
There is good news, this is a benign phenomenon.
“There is no lesion, no infection, no abnormality on clinical examination” assures the doctor.
A pain which can nevertheless worry more than one sleeper: according to the French National Society of Colo-Proctology, fleeting proctalgia affects between 3 and 15% of the population, with a slight female predominance.
What are the causes?
Why does this spasm occur? The exact causes remain poorly understood, but several factors can contribute to seizures:
- Stress or anxiety;
- Fatigue;
- Certain functional digestive disorders,
- Local neuromuscular hypersensitivity.
How to overcome the crisis?
There is no miracle treatment to completely prevent seizures. On the other hand, Dr. Guilloche shares without taboo several simple gestures that help relieve pain when it occurs:
- Get up and walk for a few minutes, “which is sometimes enough to make the spasm subside” ;
- Apply local heat (hot water bottle, lukewarm shower);
- Insert a suppository, whatever it may be, or gently massage the anal area with a finger, as indicated by some proctologists;
- In longer attacks, salbutamol (Ventolin) may be prescribed by a doctor to relax the muscle
And in the event of repeated attacks?
When the episodes are very frequent or particularly disabling, the treatment can go further. The French National Society of Colo-Proctology mentions in particular psychological care, sometimes anxiolytic or antidepressant treatment, more rarely, injections of botulinum toxin into the anal sphincter. You still have to have a full… back.
Surgery, on the other hand, has no place in the treatment of proctalgia fugax.
When should you consult?
If proctalgia fugax is benign, certain signs should alert you, the doctor insists. Therefore, it is important to consult if the pain is accompanied by:
- Bleeding;
- Fever ;
- Persistent pain;
- Unusual symptoms.
In these cases, there may be another cause requiring medical advice. “Go talk to a doctor, and don’t be ashamed” assures the specialist.