Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints of a lot of people, the second most common source of pain, actually. This condition arises from different factors, like nerve compression of the spine, pregnancy due to increased weight of the body, back injury or trauma and less commonly would people associate it with the existence of a haemorrhoid.
Though many experts would say that there is no direct link between hemorrhoids and lower back pain, they can still cause lower back pain indirectly. Before linkingthem together, it is nice to review first what a haemorrhoid is, how it develops and what are the symptoms associated with it to fully understand the relationship of these two conditions.
Normally, when a food is ingested, the gastrointestinal tract would digest it through its continuous peristaltic movements, churning and squeezing each food material to convert it into small particles. Through digestion, the nutrient contents of the eaten food are absorbed, leaving the residues in the lumen of the intestines. These residues are mostly composed of indigestible materials like fibre. The fibre content of the food that you ingested is directly proportional to the transit of these food materials to the anus.
This is one of the main reasons fibre is recommended to prevent constipation and subsequently, a haemorrhoid. When these digested materials stay in the gastrointestinal tract for longer periods of time, this causes obstruction in the intestines. The obstruction augments the accumulation of more digested materials in the intestines, causing constipation. Because of the accumulation of these digested materials, the veins in the lower gastrointestinal tract get engorged. There is an increase in pressure in these veins causing them to dilate and the engorgement of these veins causes haemorrhoid.
The veins that are commonly engorged are those that are located in the rectum and anus, and are most commonly aggravated by straining during defecation. A Haemorrhoid can cause pain during defecation, irritation, and more severe symptoms like rectal bleeding and prolapse. Now that the development and symptoms of this condition have been explained, how does it cause lower back pain?
One of the major links between hemorrhoids and lower back pain is the proximity of the location of these two conditions. These haemorrhoidal veins are located at the anus, which is located posteriorly to the perineum, while the lower back pain is located at the lower end of the spine. If you are going to look closely at their locations, the only things that separate these two locations are layers of muscles that stabilize the spine to the pelvis. They are closely located to each other that the pain of one can radiate to the other.
Another cause of lower back pain in hemorrhoids is the prolapse of the hemorrhoidal veins. When these veins prolapse or protrude out of the anus, the patient may not be able to sit properly because of the pressure that it can cause to the veins. The engorgement of the veins can also deprive the other back muscles of blood, causing lower back pain. These two conditions may not be totally linked, but because of their location and the mechanism by which a haemorrhoid can cause pain, they can be significantly related.
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