In general, abdominal pain related to bowel movements is largely due to intestinal contractions or spasm. This contractile motion is physiological and will occur each time one moves his or her bowel.
The difference is that some people may experience significant abdominal pain while others are not disturbed by the spasm in any way. The reason for this may be the varying level of sensitivity in the nervous system within the bowel wall such that the same amount of stretch on the wall may give rise to different level of discomfort.
Another possible cause for a recent onset pain may be due any local inflammatory condition made worse by bowel movement during defecation.
If this is the case, one has to exclude problems arising from the nearby organs including the colon, the urinary bladder and the gynecological system in ladies. It will be prudent to seek medical help if the above pain did not go away within a few weeks or has been recurring for sometime.
- Dr Quan
