Tenesmus

A painful, urgent sensation of needing to pass stool despite an empty rectum or incomplete evacuation, often associated with severe cramping, straining, and discomfort

Causes

• Inflammatory bowel disease

  • Crohn's disease

  • Ulcerative colitis

• Infectious colitis

• Colorectal cancer

• Anorectal causes

  • Hemorrhoids

  • Rectal abscess

  • Anal fissure

• Functional and motility disorders

  • Constipation

  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

  • Pelvic floor dysfunction

• Radiation proctitis