An NHS doctor has sounded the alarm over a distressing symptom known as ‘lightening bum’, which could signal serious health issues.
Dr Karan Rajan, who is popular on TikTok as Dr Karan Raj, warned this intense rectal pain might indicate conditions such as endometriosis or proctalgia fugax.
In a video excerpt from his podcast, Dr Karan Explores, where he converses with gynaecological surgeon Karen Tang, he said: “Stabbing butthole pain. I’ve seen an increased amount of patients in colorectal clinics that I’ve done that come in with stabbing butthole pain, lightening bum, shooty bum pain, proctalgia fugax.”
He continued, discussing the impact of the condition: “It seems like a funny thing when you see videos on it or when someone describes it. You know, like a sharp, lightening type pain in your crotch or butthole. And it actually ruins the quality of life for a lot of people.”
Dr Rajan also pointed out the issue seems to affect women more frequently. Delving deeper into the topic, Dr Tang added: “It can be a sign of things like endometriosis or pelvic floor spasm. Most people have never heard this term proctalgia fugax, which is this spasming of the pelvic floor or the rectal muscles and it is a fairly common thing.
“There can be serious medical issues causing that. Rectal pain is actually one of the most common symptoms of endometriosis. And because women’s pain has sometimes been so normalised people have been kind of conditioned to be like ‘oh god I’m not gonna talk about this’, but it’s something that people should bring up with their doctor.”
NHS guidance suggests that anal discomfort is frequently encountered and could arise from a variety of factors including constipation, haemorrhoids, anal fissures, or abscesses. It may also result from an STI, or in rare cases, be an indicator of something as grave as anal cancer.
Nonetheless, it’s vital not to diagnose oneself. If you’re dealing with pain and it worries you, be sure to see your GP.