Disease Index

Hemorrhoids and Constipation

Aastha Kapoor   by Aastha Kapoor, MS, Biotechnology    Last updated on November 10, 2020,

Hemorrhoids and Constipation

Constipation involves the accumulation of hard stool in the lower colon or rectum region, causing huge discomfort and difficulty in passing the stools. Due to the inability to pass stool, the stomach gets engorge and causes severe pain. After a short period, when the hard stool eventually passes out, it overstretches the muscles and veins of the anus and can even damage the anal mucosal layer.

Hemorrhoids involve dilation of blood vessels in the rectum and anus region. During hemorrhoids, external and internal veins get inflamed. Internal veins line the anus and rectum, and external veins are present under the skin around the anus region. These vessels get inflamed and infected, causing severe itching and pain in the rectum. 

If you suffer from inflamed hemorrhoids, they may burst eventually and cause a bleeding and sharp burning sensation. Pressure during a bowel movement can also lead to bleeding hemorrhoids. In severe cases, patients may develop blood clots, skin tags, and infection in their hemorrhoids.

If you experience severe constipation, your anal veins may get pressurized or strained. Pressure on the veins leads to inflammation of veins, which may lead to the development of hemorrhoids. Therefore, constipation is considered one of the most common causes of hemorrhoids.

Read more About Causes and Risk Factors of Hemorrhoids

Read More About Signs and Symptoms of Hemorrhoids

Read More About Causes of Constipation

Cure for Hemorrhoids and Constipation

Constipation leads to hemorrhoids. Thereby if you treat constipation, hemorrhoids can be avoided. Some common remedies are also helpful in treating constipation and piles. Following are the methods which provide relief from hemorrhoids and constipation:

  • You should increase the intake of fibers in your diet. Fibers improve the efficiency of your bowel and allow easy removal of the stool. Some fiber-rich sources are vegetables, fruits, full corn bread, and full corn cereals.
  • You should monitor the amount of fat in your diet. If you reduce fat intake, it can make the stool harder. If fat intake is increased, it can create problems during digestion.
  • Take varying amounts of certain fat sources in your diet may alleviate inflammation in your body, such as fish fat, canola oil, flax oil, almonds, olive oil, and rape oil. Try adding these fat sources in small quantities to your diets, such as sunflower seeds, eggs, nuts, avocados, spawn, sunflower oil, corn oil, and soy oil.
  • Drink a sufficient amount of water throughout the day, as water helps in softening your stool.
  • You should eat regular meals and never skip any meal. Do not overfill or overeat during any meal. Instead, you can try eating 4-5 smaller meals in short intervals, than three large meals.
  • Ensure to visit the toilet as you feel an urge to pass stool. Do not delay your visit as it may worsen your situation and further harden your stool.
  • Relax while sitting on the toilet seat and allow your stool to pass naturally. You should avoid straining your anus during the bowel movement. To ease the bowel movement, you can apply Vaseline or specialized ointment on your anal opening.
  • You can consume two tablespoons of linen seeds for a few days to alleviate hemorrhoids and constipation. Linen seeds loosen the stomach content and ease the bowel movement. Dissolve the seeds for one hour and then consume it along with its mucus.
  • If you suffer from hard constipation, try taking a middle-sized enema for a few weeks. Enema ampoules are readily available at a chemist store. It helps in loosening the stool and allows its easy passage through the anus. In rare cases, it may increase pressure on the intestine and worsen your hemorrhoids.
  • Some people are also benefitted by adding certain spices to their food, such as cayenne, chili, or ginger. These spices stimulate the stomach to heal the damaged tissue. Do not overuse these species as they can irritate your stomach lining.
  • Researchers believe that exercise increases the blood flow in the body and strengthens the intestinal and anal muscles. Thereby, it helps in overcoming hemorrhoids and constipation.
  • You should take some time to relax and stress down your body once a day. When your body is stressed out, your nervous system sends fewer signals to the digestive system, thereby hampering food digestion. Take some time to meditate and stress down your body to increase the efficiency of your digestive system.
  • You can try applying certain topical ointments on the anal region to alleviate acute hemorrhoids. Ointment help in reducing inflammation and hemorrhoid pain in the anus, killing bacteria infecting the hemorrhoids, lubricating anal muscles to allow easy removal of the stool from the body and stimulate healing of damaged tissue.
  • In some cases, doctors even prescribe some oral drugs that target softening of stool, stimulate the movement of intestinal muscles, activate tissue regeneration, have anti-inflammatory properties, and provide pain relief.
  • The tropical ointments and oral drugs are majorly classified as a pharmacological drug. They are made from natural substances, plant fibers, natural oils, herbs, vitamins, and minerals. Some recent drugs are made by combining natural agents with synthetic molecules. 


Aastha Kapoor

Aastha Kapoor is a biotechnologist who loves to work for the human field and, at the same time, explore biotechnology. She pursued Masters in Biotechnology from Amity University, Noida, and has worked as a Research Trainee at the School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Aastha has worked as a Senior Research Associate at Maxinov Solutions.


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