Ask the Pain Doctor

Fleeting Rectum Pain

Proctalgia fugax 1

Posted 2/4/2010

Question:

I have a very embarrassing situation. I get sharp “gripping” pain in my rectum and I had it several months ago but it went away without treatment and I felt reassured. I am a 45 year old “maiden lady” with irritable bowel syndrome but I never had anything like this. Is there anything potentially serious here?

Doctor's Response

You may have proctalgia fugax (literally fleeting pain in the rectum) which is an example of giving a fancy name to a phenomenon that we recognize but don’t know the cause. Because the rectal area has some potentially serious conditions including malignancy and infection, you should have a complete examination including a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy if you have never or not recently had one.
There are various medications which may help including Amitriptyline and Gabapentin but diagnosis should come first. This condition tends to subside and recur from time to time. A female gastroenterologist might make you feel moer confortable in the light of your sensitivities.