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Posted 6/26/2009 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
I have experienced these for years, few and far between for the most part. I've always imagined they are behind the old saying..."got a wild hair up your butt." I have had some real painful ones a few times that darn near lift me off my chair. I've never payed it much attention to them beyond the moment, but like charley horses, I suppose there may be some deficiency involved, if it isn't simply a damage nerve that goes haywire once in a while.

No suggestions, just letting you know you ain't alone.
Posted 11/24/2009 5:44 PM (GMT 0)
I have been suffering from this pain for 8 years now and it is really putting a damper on my sex life. I usually get this pain after I have had an intense orgasm, and sometimes it just wakes me up during the middle of the night. I hate having to tell my husband I have "that pain" again while trying to be intimate. I've never gone to the Dr. about this, I thought I was the only one with this odd pain, it's nice to know I'm not alone. I've found sitting directly on the pain and rocking back and forth helps also massaging the area in a warm bath helps too. It's not like any pain killers can help for pain that comes out of nowhere and lasts anywhere from 5-45 min; although, I have had the pain last for more than an hour at times. I hope this topic becomes more widely discussed and Dr.'s can do more research to find out the cause of this debilitating pain.
Posted 11/24/2009 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Proctitis Fugax is a difficult condition to treat. It can sometimes be related to other conditions so as previously advised, I would get it checked out. Sometimes a glycerin suppository can help or maybe a trial of rectal diazepam at night (particularly if night time symptoms). Consider alternative therapies as well such as acupuncture or herbal treatments.
Posted 12/10/2009 9:22 PM (GMT 0)

When I saw all these posts I just had to join this website because I believe I have the answer!  I started getting these things right after a whiplash car accident. I always called them " sacrum attacks ". Sometimes they hurt so bad and went on for so long they could make me black out. Yes, they usually happen in bed but can come anytime ,especially after extensive sitting, bending, or walking. Even stress can bring them on.  So here is what I learned to do to stop an attack. The secret is all in the position of the sacrum. Or more correctly speaking, the incorrect position it is in which causes the attacks. In my case there are 2 components to the misalignment. Firstly, a rotation. When I touch my sacrum I can feel the left side protruding more posterior as compared to the right side. This is it's typical position since the accident. Second, a compaction. That is to say, because the dural membrane is so tight all the way up my spine, the sacrum is being compressed onto L5 which is the 5th lumbar and sits on top of the sacrum. The complex assortment of nerves and muscles in this area run into the lower pelvis etc. So, when I feel an attack coming on I lay on my back and make a fist with my left hand { since it's the left side of my sacrum that protrudes }. I lay on top of my fist with the knuckles against the protrusion, and apply a steady traction towards my feet.  This will stop the attack in usually less than a minute and it works every time. This will align the coccyx too.  Unfortunately, it took me a couple of years to figure this out for myself and it won't cure you pemanently.  For those who've had surgery instead of accidents, scar tissue can tighten things up just as well.  I wouldn't recommend chiropractic for this condition because it's too rough and would likely cause more spasm. Cranio- sacral therapy by an osteopath would be much better especially if you're unable to feel the distortion by yourself.  Well that's my experience.  All the best !

Posted 12/12/2009 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
I sometimes get these when I'm working out or playing sports, it literally feels like there's a stick up my butt. I mean it's so realistic I thought I must have had a hard stool be right on the edge of just coming out, but I didn't have any urge to go to the bathroom, just this feeling of having a solid object up there...very strange, not very fun. Also hard to explain why you need to take a couple points off!
Posted 4/3/2010 4:40 AM (GMT 0)
I want to thank dbab for directing me to this site. I am 54 years old and have been suffering with this for years. I didn't know who to talk to and I always forgot to mention it to my doctor until now because I did not have a name for it,proctalgia fugax. I would have an attack during the night that would wake me out of the deepest sleep and the best dreams. I would try to ignore the pain and try to go back to sleep, which would begin as cramping in my lower abdomen just above my pubic bone and quickly move straight back to my rectum. It would be a pressure, throbbing, and building in pain until I was forced to leave my bed. Sometimes, I would feel like I needed to go to the bathroom and maybe I could get some relief from the pain but I never could. I can't go on command either. In the first few episodes, I would pace around my house in excruciating pain for 20 minutes to over an hour. When the stabbing pains finally subsided I would go to bed exhausted and forget about it until the next time it happened hoping each time would be the last. I have been diagnosed with diverticulosis which eventually I ended up in ICU with a total intestinal blockage and emergency surgery two years ago. I don't know if this has any connection to proctalgia fugax. I am going check out Fibromyalgia because I had not heard this may be related as well. I have found some relief when I first wake up in pain with the same symptoms, cramping, throbbing, stabbing rectal pains, I immediately get up and take 1 or 2 aspirins and the symptoms go away quickly and I can go back to bed. If I wait until the pain is too intense it takes longer to subside.
Posted 8/28/2010 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
I have come to this thread and forum because I have what I believe to be PF, I am a male and have had these symptoms since I was about 8 years old and I am now nearly 40. My symptoms are that either after going to the bathroom or, as a previous poster has also said, experiencing an intense orgasm, I have a pain in what feels like the lower part of my rectum. For decades I have not known what caused them, I have been to the doctor on a few occasions and have always been forwarded to the hospital for tests. Up until this year when I had my last examination, it has been ten years since I had a check up relating to this pain and was told at that one to eat more fiber. Earlier this year I began to experience pains in my abdomen and unusual bowel motions, my doctor referred me again to the hospital and in-between that time I was browsing in my local library and came across 'The Dummies Guide To IBS'. Apart from having a diagram of the colon and showing areas of colon spasm in exactly the same areas where I had the stomach pains, it also mentioned Proctalgia Fugax. I cannot tell you the shock and relief I felt as I saw a name for my symptoms and not only that, but also that it was not fatal (an irrational fear that I began to develop as I got older). The one thing I find difficult to deal with about the condition is the 'roll of the dice' nature of it; I may not get it for months, then it will come on me regularly for a short spell then leave again. But also, I cannot tell what will cause it, I may have it through the two above reasons I noted earlier or I may have it through lifting my leg high (as if to get up onto a high step) and thus strain myself in that area. I have noticed some remedies for me that work, though not always; if I can catch it early enough, sometimes I can pass stool, or urine, or even break wind and that relieves the pressure somehow. I have also noticed that warm enemas can also stop the pain, although again, this is only if it's caught early enough. The most consistently successful, though the most disgusting remedy, has been to make myself vomit, sometimes the pain is that severe that I am forced to be sick anyway, but once I began to notice that the pain would stop immediately after I had, I began to go down this route. The shortest episode I have had was a few seconds and the longest one was about five hours.
It has been debilitating for me with regard to members of the opposite sex for the obvious reasons, when do I explain to the woman what I have? I would like to thank you for coming together on this forum to share your experiences as you have empowered me to join and admit my own symptoms and know that I am not the only one who has this debilitating problem. I wish you all well and long term relief from this condition.
Posted 8/28/2010 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
Proctalgia fugax: A cause of episodic rectal pain?

http://www.riversideonline.com/health_reference/Questions-Answers/AN00237.cfm

Biofeedback Is Superior to Electrogalvanic Stimulation and Massage for Treatment of Levator Ani Syndrome

Background & Aims

Levator ani syndrome (LAS) might be treated using biofeedback to teach pelvic floor relaxation, electrogalvanic stimulation (EGS), or massage of levator muscles. We performed a prospective, randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of these techniques and assess physiologic mechanisms for treatment.

Methods

Inclusion criteria were Rome II symptoms plus weekly pain. Patients were categorized as “highly likely” to have LAS if they reported tenderness with traction on the levator muscles or as “possible” LAS if they did not. All 157 patients received 9 sessions including psychologic counseling plus biofeedback, EGS, or massage. Outcomes were reassessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

Results

Among patients with “highly likely” LAS, adequate relief was reported by 87% for biofeedback, 45% for EGS, and 22% for massage. Pain days per month decreased from 14.7 at baseline to 3.3 after biofeedback, 8.9 after EGS, and 13.3 after massage. Pain intensity decreased from 6.8 (0–10 scale) at baseline to 1.8 after biofeedback, 4.7 after EGS, and 6.0 after massage. Improvements were maintained for 12 months. Patients with only a “possible” diagnosis of LAS did not benefit from any treatment. Biofeedback and EGS improved LAS by increasing the ability to relax pelvic floor muscles and evacuate a water-filled balloon and by reducing the urge and pain thresholds.

Conclusions

Biofeedback is the most effective of these treatments, and EGS is somewhat effective. Only patients with tenderness on rectal examination benefit. The pathophysiology of LAS is similar to that of dyssynergic defecation.

http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(09)02237-9/abstract

 This has even more info, if you scroll towards the middle

http://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/collateral/digest/Spring_2010_Digest.pdf

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Urology/Proctalgia-Fugax/show/635631

Posted 12/12/2010 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
Wow am I glad I found this site. I think this is what I'm having.

Mine happens right after I get up in the morning and lasts less than a minute but the pain is so darn intense it's just awful. Mine kind of starts just below the navel and then bam, rectal pain.

I had a colonoscopy about a year & a half ago & was diagnosed with IBS. I also have endometriosis and fibromyalgia. I'm only 33 (and falling apart).

I'm having a 2nd colonoscopy on Tuesday due to rectal bleeding with my all ready awful periods. I'm also suppose to have a hysterectomy in January, pending that there isn't some awful colitis that would need to be remedied before having that done. Though my GI doc does think it's endo of the colon.

Anyway, I almost wonder if the endo & adhesions could have something to do with this rectal pain? I mean, it could be pulling or something too. But boy it is just AWFUL! And this pain is not coinciding with periods, it happens randomly. I'd say 3 - 4 times a week the past month and a half.

I will have to see if I can talk to the doc about it Tuesday before the colonoscopy.
Posted 12/12/2010 7:18 PM (GMT 0)
Miasma

ask your doctor about

What is Proctalgia Fugax?
VIEW IMAGE
This condition was first described in Ancient Rome over 2000 years ago and still carries the Latin name which translates to "fleeting rectal pain." Proctalgia Fugax is basically just that - a fleeting rectal pain. Although few sufferers even mention it to their doctor, it is not uncommon. Health surveys of the general population estimate that about 5% of individuals experience the symptoms occasionally. Most report less than 6 attacks per year. Sufferers often describe waking up from a sound sleep with a sharp pain, often described as stabbing pain "like a knife sticking deep in the rectum." Mercifully, the pain is usually brief - lasting less than 20 minutes - and disappears as mysteriously as it comes.

http://www.gihealth.com/html/education/proctalgiaFugax.html

Posted 12/12/2010 7:51 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Shawn, that's the plan.
Posted 12/14/2010 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
I get them! They wake me up in the middle of the night and the only thing that simi makes them feel better is sitting on the toilette.
Posted 12/15/2010 5:52 AM (GMT 0)
This didn't start happening for me until after I had given birth and had an episiotomy....it didn't start happening until a few months after that and it used to happen about once a week back then....pain was intense to the point of almost being in tears....it occurs less frequently now, but I'm wondering if episiotomies can cause this or tears in the perineum during delivery? Have any other women experienced this after delivery?
Posted 1/17/2011 8:21 AM (GMT 0)

I just wanted to get on here to say how glad I was to find this site.

To find I wasn't alone with this pain, just knowing there are others out there that I can chat with to get some ideas that may help.Thank goodness for this forum.

Thanks to all of you that have taken the time to post helpful meds and or ideas to help others. I've been dealing with this and not understanding it for 3 years I don't feel alone any more. I'm sorry for all of us having to suffer with this pain.I pray someone will come up with a true way to help us all 

 

Posted 1/17/2011 5:32 PM (GMT 0)
i had a terrible spasm on sat night after coming home from the pot luck. i also vomited. i think the spasm was from too much food and i am not used to that especially at night. the vomiting was from caesar salad. i have not had raw eggs in a long time. i just vomited the salad so guess that was it.

so much for trying to enjoy an evening out, lol!
Posted 6/10/2011 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
So, what do we do? Is there really a "cure"? If I have to live another 3 years with this I could possibly freak out. Having surgery next week to see if there are other issues like possible fissures, etc....
Thank you all for the posts. Reading them has made me feel like I'm not just making up the symptoms, that what I'm experiencing is real.
Just frustrated and annoyed. So sick of it.
Posted 9/30/2011 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, thank you! Finally I know what that sharp rectal pain is. I only get it a couple of times a year. GI had no idea what I was talking about. I have Crohn's but I've been wondering if I don't have IBS also. I'm so glad I'm not alone.
Posted 3/1/2012 6:07 AM (GMT 0)
I get the spasms too, in fact a lot recently, they feel like a knot has painfully been twisted up in my rectum. I had colitis and self cured with diet, but now I get these, ugh. My gastro doc thinks they are related to dehydration, but I purposely drink a lot of water with electrolytes. I get them before a run, after I run, at work, but never while sleeping.
Posted 5/10/2012 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Good day to all, first as others have said thank GOD for this sight, thought I was on a death countdown Arter this"flare up" started.

Mine began as a child I used to have that I Dobby have to potty attitude wand would hold my urine and stool for long periods of time, I had my first spasm in the 5-th grade, didn't say anything obviously because kids are cold hearted. Two days ago I had a rough BM one which I did excessive pushing, thought it was a hemorrhoid, but since then these spasms feel like a butcher is in my anus trying to cut his way to m stomach. I was standing at the time and it had me on my toes life I was imitating Michael Jacksons dance moves. I went to the bathroom had a heathy BM no blood or anything so I didn't think anything more just remembered my childhood spasm, during my usual morning urination it hit again and sadly o missed the bowl for a second. This morning same time as last it hit again and I feller my face tighten up in horrible pain, again went to the bathroom relaxed and relived my self the pain hasn't come back.

I gabber not seen or consulted a doc as I believe they to visit sites like this to diagnosis people. has anyone found a solution??
Posted 6/17/2012 5:03 PM (GMT 0)
I have suffered from rectal spasms for the last several years, and like one of the other female posters, they happen more frequently around my period. They almost always occur in the middle of the night and wake me up out of a sound sleep. I discovered that heat stops the cramping pretty quickly. I was using one of those disposable Thermacare wraps for menstrual cramps and had a rectal spasm. In desperation, because nothing else had worked, I pulled the Thermacare off of my abdomen and rolled it up and applied it to the, uh, area affected by the cramp. In a minute or so, the cramp was gone. Now I keep Thermacare wraps on my nightstand, so if a cramp hits I don't have to suffer from it for too long. I hope this helps someone else.
Posted 8/16/2013 9:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hope I can help on this one,  I have been suffering with these symtoms for years.  When I eventually went to the doctor he was very helpful.  He prescribed an ointment (yes I know its strange) call Xyloproct.  As soon as I feel an 'attack' coming on, I just insert a small amount of this ointment, (its easy as it comes in a tube with a thing on the end)  and it usually subsides within 5-8 minutes.  I take this with me wherever I go as I never know when I'm going to get an attack.  Ask your doctor,  I completey recommaend it.  Hope it helps..
Posted 8/20/2013 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
I get these pains very rarely but when i do they HURT! And just very last night i got the pain & this time... The pain was unbearable, it only lasted about a minute but it felt like three. I need help cry
Posted 9/15/2014 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
I have been having the pains wake me up at night for several years, feels like i have been shot in the the behind with a shotgun at point blank range. POW and out of the bed i come. Nothing would help. it has continually gotten worse to the point i have had CT scans, colonoscopy and countless doctor visits. Finally one doctor said he thought i was having rectal spasms and prescribed a nitroglycerin ointment. my pains had gotten to where i was having them 18 to 20 hours per day and were so intense i cant even describe it. I am 44 years old and not what i consider to be a wimp, but they ball me up in the corner and render me useless. This ointment is giving me some relief but i am having to use it more than directed which can be dangerous. The only other relief i get is to sit on a hard surface and rock back and forth untill it eases then i can just sit there [all night some nights] will this ever get better or am i stuck with this till the end? I read where it may have something to do with S1 and L5 and i do have that disc ruptured. would love to hear some input on this. Thank you.
Posted 9/16/2014 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
To anyone it may help, with me having the ruptured disc at L5 and S1 I went to a chiropractor for an allignment just to see and I think I am on to something. Have not had much pain since, starting back slightly so i plan on going back within 3 days for reassurance. Really hope you guys find an answer for yours.
Posted 1/20/2015 7:39 AM (GMT 0)
Male 45. I've had at most 4 proctolgia fugax episodes per year, for the last 8 years.
All but 2 were very late at night. They wake me up.
10 minutes of sheer hell.
Onset is mild. I'm used to the pattern now, so the initial dull pain tells me we're off to the races.
It starts with an acute pinching pain in the rectum. Like a hot metal spike is slowly being inserted.
As it builds up, the feelings are: ovewhelming urge to defacate (a false response); curled into fetal position to stretch, bends legs and knees all directions to stretch, try inserting something into the rectum just in case massage helps (it doesn't). In the worst attacks, clenching buttocks and rectum over and over, face sweating, getting lightheaded, hard to breath.
It absolutely hurts like crazy, one is incapacitated until the episode passes.
The theory is it's stress related, in my case that explains most of the attacks.
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