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Contact your doctor if home therapies are not helpful.

• You should call immediately if you think you may have a thrombosed hemorrhoid because early treatment is the key to relief.

• Also call your doctor if you are having any bleeding. Sometimes rectal bleeding can be a sign of a more serious problem such as colon cancer.

It is unlikely that rectal pain would require a visit to a hospital's emergency department. You may want to contact your doctor first before going to the hospital. A more urgent evaluation in the emergency department might be required if these conditions develop:

• Rectal pain becomes more severe, especially if associated with fevers and infectious discharge from the rectum.

• Pain is no longer confined to the rectum but spreads to the abdomen.

• You notice an increasing amount of rectal bleeding or a large amount of bleeding in one episode.

• You think you have a foreign body in your rectum or suspect rectal prolapse is the cause of pain.

Must Read Articles Related to Rectal Pain

Proctitis Proctitis is defined as inflammation of your anus (the opening) and lining of your rectum (lower part of the intestine leading to the anus). Symptoms can vary g...learn more >>

Rectal Bleeding The rectum is the last portion of the large bowel that ends just before the anus. Bleeding from this area can be a mild or life-threatening matter. Causes of re...learn more >>

Ulcerative Colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an acute or chronic inflammation of the membranes that line the colon. Symptoms of UC include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleedi...learn more >>

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