Rectal pain is the symptom of pain

Pain

Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...

 in the area of the rectum

Rectum

The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 cm long...

. A number of different causes (68) have been documented.

Anal fissures

Anal fissure

Anal fissure

An anal fissure is a break or tear in the skin of the anal canal. Anal fissures may be noticed by bright red anal bleeding on the toilet paper, sometimes in the toilet. If acute they may cause severe periodic pain after defecation but with chronic fissures pain intensity is often less...

 is the most common cause of rectal pain. It involves a tear in the anal canal probably due to trauma from defecation

Defecation

Defecation is the final act of digestion by which organisms eliminate solid, semisolid or liquid waste material from the digestive tract via the anus. Waves of muscular contraction known as peristalsis in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract towards the rectum...

 and are usually treated effectively with sitz baths, stool softeners, and analgesics.

Anorectal abscess

An anorectal abscess

Anorectal abscess

Anorectal abscess is an abscess adjacent to the anus. It arises from an infection at one of the anal crypts of Morgagni which leads to inflammation and abscess formation...

 is an infection that forms a pocket of pus

Pus

Pus is a viscous exudate, typically whitish-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammatory during infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection of pus within or beneath the epidermis is known as a pustule or...

 within the tissues around the anus

Anus

The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...

. It is treated surgically by incision and drainage.

Infections

Bacterial, viral, and protozoal infections may occur in the area surround the rectum. These may be the result of a sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...

.