What You Should Know About the Causes of Piles

Piles are lumps inside and around the anus that are essentially enlarged veins filled with more blood than usual. This enlargement is mainly caused by additional pressure on the rectum due to prolonged sitting or standing, weight lifting, or pregnancy. Hemorrhoids can be very tricky to handle, especially if you have more than one symptom. Furthermore, all of the activities that can cause piles should be immediately discontinued as not to worsen the condition. Since there are many causes of piles, we’ve come up with the most important information you should know about them down below.

What Are Piles

Piles, also known as hemorrhoids, are swellings found inside or around the rectum and anus which contain blood vessels. They can show up as internal hemorrhoids meaning that they have presented in the inside of the rectum, or they can be external hemorrhoids around the anus and under the skin.

Almost every adult has hemorrhoids from time to time, but they might not even realize it. The main reason behind this is that they usually don’t cause any symptoms which is why people usually don’t even realize they have them. However, when symptoms do present themselves they may not be very comfortable.

There are many causes of piles but in most cases, the exact cause remains unknown. What is obvious however is that they are greatly impacted by pressure which causes the blood vessels to enlarge. This can happen during prolonged sitting or standing, during prolonged periods of lifting heavyweight, and even during pregnancy.

Avoid Prolonged Sitting or Standing

One of the known causes of piles is prolonged sitting or standing. As we’ve mentioned earlier, piles form because of increased pressure on the rectum which also occurs during long hours of either sitting or standing. This can be quite difficult to manage, as most people tend to be sitting for a great portion of their working hours.

To make matters even more concerning, studies have found that generally harmless actions such as using your phone while you’re on the toilet can cause hemorrhoids. It’s not the actual smartphones that cause the problem, but the long period of sitting and straining. This is why it’s suggested that people should rethink how much time they are spending in the bathroom.

Another aspect that adds to the hemorrhoid problem is constipation. Constipation means that you are more likely to spend more time sitting and straining your rectum. As you’ll see further down the article, one of the bases of preventing hemorrhoids is a diet that is rich in fibers.

Pregnancy Can Be the Cause

Many studies have shown that over 50% of women develop hemorrhoids during pregnancy. The reason why this percentage is so high is twofold. Firstly, pregnant women are more likely to get constipated due to prolonged sitting, hormonal changes, or from taking other supplements that are necessary for a healthy pregnancy such as iron.

Hemorrhoids most commonly appear during the third trimester of pregnancy and childbirth. They may also occur immediately after childbirth as a result of extensive training during this process. The second reason why they appear during pregnancy is that the weight of the stomach is much bigger on the rectum, and the veins get enlarged, turning into hemorrhoids.

This condition may completely disappear after delivery and pregnancy altogether and without any treatment. Due to the normal hormone levels, blood volume, and decreased intra-abdominal pressure, they usually go away on their own, without the need for treatment. But if this is not the case, you should consider treatment immediately.

Treatment

If you have a bright red stool, an itchy anus, lumps, or pain around your anus, these are all tell-tale signs that you have piles. At this point, you are probably wondering how to treat them. Let’s start with things you should not do so you don’t make your condition worse.

You should not ignore any urge to use the toilet, nor should you push too hard. Furthermore, don’t take ibuprofen nor painkillers that contain codeine as these can cause constipation. You should also avoid wiping too hard. Luckily, there are many remedies to make them go away easily.

Keeping your bottom dry and clean is the first step towards treatment. To get rid of them for good, consider using home remedies for hemorrhoids such as oils and other natural remedies. Oil is considered one of the best options for treating this condition, and it’s very easy to apply. Additional aids such as ice packs, sitz baths, and hemorrhoid pillow will make recovery faster.

Stop Heavy Lifting but Keep Exercising

Continuous pressure on the rectum, as well as straining, have been well established as known causes of piles. Both of these causes can happen while indulging in extensive heavy lifting. Straining and holding your breath, as it’s generally done while lifting weights can cause the veins surrounding your rectum to become swollen and even poke through your anus.

The reason why this happens is that as you grunt and hold your breath while lifting weights, or any kind of heavy lifting activity, your lungs push downward on your internal organs, which exert pressure on your rectum. The longer you perform these actions, the higher chances are that you will get internal or external piles (in rare cases, both).

If you’re already suffering from piles, your doctor will probably suggest that you discontinue this activity in hopes that your condition doesn’t get worse. This doesn’t mean you should stop exercising completely, as some activities such as walking have shown positive results towards piles treatment.

People nowadays usually have desk jobs or they generally spend more time sitting than they are supposed to, causing piles in more than three-quarters of the population. This is all the more reason to take preventative measures if possible or to seek immediate treatment as soon as you notice any of the symptoms. Piles should be taken very seriously as they can cause further complications such as extensive bleeding, and even blood clots. This is why immediate treatment is crucial both to get rid of them as soon as possible and to ensure they don’t come back any time soon.