Anyone else have a constant pressure or ache in the anal sphincter which Ishould caused by anxiety??? I have had this for 6 years on and off with about 18 months symptom free. It's definitely caused by anxiety. I have it all day long but goes away when I sleep or even after a few drinks. I can sometimes feel the anal area flutter or twitch. It feels like a marble is inside my ass. Had loads of tests and all sorts and have been told it's muscle tension. I have been given some diltiazem cream to try. I have used it for 2 days and have no improvement but I guess it will take a while. But basically it's like a tension in my back passage. Also have a bit of back ache and just basically feel tense in the whole area below my belly button. I never pass blood or mucus and am not constipated. I had pelvic floor physical therapy a few months ago and they located a massively tight muscle in my back passage. When they pressed on it my symptoms were magnified. I'm just interested if anyone else can relate to this

Hi Aldaman147 -- I definitely think I experienced this and that my anxiety when it flares makes my issues down there worse. I wish I had a better answer on perhaps what will entirely fix it. The creams did occasionally help me and I could feel the relaxing a bit, but my anxiety would just take over and I'd tighten up. My sphincter tension came back normal, so I really had to focus on muscle relaxation and breathing especially when having a BM. Has anything helped you?

I know your post is a while ago. I can definitely relate to your condition, as mine ia very very similar.

What basically happens to me is tightness and pain in my butt. Anus and rectum. Sometimes it goes away for months. Sometimes it comes back for weeks. It started in my case with a severe case of anxiety. I thought it was a fissure because it also coincided with trauma in that area. I did two anoscopy by two different general surgeons, one sigmoidoscopy, and two complete endoscopy by two other docs. No one doctor could find any fissure. Only small hemorrhoids. So what was the diagnosis? Mild hemorrhoids! Guess what? I fbelieved it was caused by hemorrhoids and took the suppositories for two weeks; guess what else? The pain started to go away, but very gradually and with intermittent relapses over a few months. What do I believe was the cause now? Anxiety induced psychosomatic pain.

Here are details of my condition: the pain eases when falling asleep; when the pain is severe a BM can make it temporarily better (ease of the tension in the butt); heavy cardio can ease off the pain; when the pain is severe even a fart can provide momentary relief (sorry); pain can shoot down a thigh; pain can be like something is stuck up my butt; it can feel like pricking, throbbing, burning, spasm, insane tightness, really dull ache; pain can be focused on one side in the rectum but it can be symmetrical just as often; sometimes it comes with mild pain in lower abdomen and groin area. It can be debilitating and can irritate to the point of frustration. During severe flair ups, inserting a lubricated finger and massaging gently inside towards the back can provide momentary relief (looked this up from google and it seemed to be a marginally effective treatment).

I have recovered on my own by trying to keep my mind away from it. It still comes back every a few months and stays for any period between a few hours, a few days or a few weeks. I've had this issue for 3 years now. It does have a trigger though. In my case, as strange as it may seem, and as embarrassing, my trigger is the subtlest erogenous touch or massage around my butt/crotch or the gentlest masturbation down there. If I go to massage parlor which I do often because of my back pain, and the massagist massages my glutes, and I become aroused, sometime later, a few hours or next day, that would trigger the pain cycle. It's weird. Anyway, sofar after my recovery that seems to be my only trigger. However, I am feeling slight pain down there as I type this right now, although I've been fine lately, which again points out the psychosomatic nature of the problem. It puzzles me too. Sometimes I wonder if a muscle had been damaged and it goes into abnormal spasm as a result of mild physical and/or psychological agitation of it (the massage or just hyperawareness of that area). I definitely try to avoid the subtlest erogenous touch down there. It never gets triggered by genital masturbation though, nor through regular sex. In any case, if I now go for a massage I make sure nobody touches my butt, and I usually stay fine. I've only recently came to this conclusion so I'll see if nothing else triggers it for the next months to come. If so, then I guess I'd have to stick to my joystick down there and leave what's around it alone. I do feel irritation or similar discomfort after hard BM but not for long and not as intense as those debilitating cycles of pain.

sounds like my summary to the insurance disability company, good times.

They think I'm crazy so no money for me. We are not crazy, that burning, spasm is real, sometimes so real it takes over our life completely. I too believe stress is a trigger.

But how to fix it?

Holy crap. That is the exact same issue as me. I keep dwelling on the thought I have an internal prolapse but have been told by many docs I don't have the symptoms. It just feels so achy and tight back there. I can be fine for several months at a time and then it comes back. It always comes back during a stressful time and then it's hard to shift the focus away. I had it a few weeks back and it just went away on its own. I was working this Tuesday and felt like I had a bit of an ache down there and now bam. It's back again. I just cannot shift the thought of it. I sit on a tennis ball which helps a lot. And surely a prolapse wouldn't just go away when I sleep or after a few drinks. I know the problem is psycological. I had heart palpitations a few weeks ago and was so worried about that it shifted my attention. It causes me real depression and I just want to curl up and hide. But I guess I have to just carry on and accept it. Then it goes away like it has so many times before . It seems to be the muscle between my butt hole and tailbone just inside my butt

I believe that the problem is muscles in the anus that are out of our control. How else would you explain a pain that goes away after a few drinks or simple distraction. I have major anxiety and I over think everything. Which is why I cannot stop thinking about it. I got rid of it every time because I basically just forgot about it. And then when I would suddenly think I haven't had that pain it would come back. I was fine all last week and then during a stressful time I felt a twinge and thought oh shit haha. Like I say it's just best to move on with life. Surely a nasty issue like a prolapse wouldn't just go away for a while and come back. I'm my own worst enemy. I just didn't realise what the mind can do to our bodies

Alfaman, i can totally relate to what youre saying about anxiety. I swear one of the best things we can learn to do is not worry about tomorrow. I wish it was that easy, but maybe there is a larger lesson in all of this for me. Because thinking and worrying about this constantly has done zero good and probably made the situation worse

I'm in the anxiety boat with the rest of you. Ever since I got the fissure in January, butt issues have been the number one thing on my mind. I'm generally better now; I only occasionally get minor cramps with sex (instead of intense ones with slight arousal), BMs aren't very painful (if painful at all), and I feel looser down there and can be more active (but not too active). However, I frequently get weird cramps in my butt cheeks and high along the crack (and sometimes just soreness). These terrify me, because I worry that the fissure is still active and fragile, although they don't following the usual timing of a fissure (they occur randomly throughout the day). I've noticed that sometimes when I'm not thinking about it, I'll feel better. I try to relax, but it's difficult.

So you guys all get this anal ache and pressure sensation??? It's so annoying.if I have a few beers or distracted it goes away. I guess it's muscles out of our control. It's almost like I'm trying to not crap myself even though I don't need to go. And if I pass gas it's a relief. It's like that whole area suddenly relaxes for a while. If I insert a finger it's about an inch inside my anus at the back by the tailbone. If I press on that area it's really tender and replicates my symptoms. I panic I have a serious problem. I even worry I have a prolapse but if had this on and off for 9 years or so. And the fact I can press on a muscle and it aches is a give away that's it's muscular. I just need to keep my mind off it

Desperate to hear from mustard