A sudden, electric jolt of pain in your rump can disappear almost as quickly as it arrives, but doctors warn the uncomfortable sensation nicknamed “lightning bum” could signal an underlying health problem.
The strange phenomenon, also known informally as “shooty bum pain,” describes a severe pain that can strike around the rectum without warning and be intense enough to stop someone in their tracks.
“I’ve had these super sharp stabbing pains in rectum area. Comes and goes and takes breath away,” explained one Redditor in a thread called “Butt lightning.”
“It is excruciating. Racing pain up my rectum that feels like lightning. The worst symptom I have ever had. It would bring me to tears, literally gasping in pain,” a second shared, while another described the sensation as “a Charlie horse in my anus.”
‘Electric shock-like pain’
In an interview with Metro, Dr. Hana Patel described the sensation as a “sudden, sharp, electric shock-like pain in and around the rectum,” explaining that it can also be felt around the tailbone, legs or lower abdomen.
“These sensations often last a few seconds but can definitely be intense enough to stop someone in their tracks,” Patel told Metro. “Medically, this type of pain often relates to spasms of the anal or pelvic floor muscles.”
It should not be confused with “lightning crotch,” a term commonly used for sudden shooting pain in the lower pelvis or vagina, particularly during pregnancy.
‘Increased prevalence in women’
The sensation can resemble an abrupt and particularly severe muscle cramp before fading, and because episodes may be brief and infrequent, determining exactly how many people experience them is difficult.
Women may report the symptom more frequently, and medical experts point to several factors that can affect pain and nerve sensitivity around the pelvis.
“The reason for increased prevalence in women remains unclear, but is likely related to multiple factors, including hormones affecting nerve sensitivity and the fact that women can have increased risk of pelvic floor dysfunction,” NHS GP Dr. Masarat Jilani told Hello!
That connection is also why doctors warn against ignoring recurring “lightning bum,” as it can sometimes point to an underlying condition.
What can cause ‘lightning bum’?
One possible explanation for sudden rectal pain is proctalgia fugax, a condition characterized by severe episodes of anorectal pain that appear abruptly and then resolve on their own.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, this condition affects up to 18% of the population, although determining its prevalence is difficult because many people never seek medical advice for such short-lived episodes.
The pain is believed to be associated with spasms involving muscles around the anus or pelvic floor, and there isn’t one known cause.
Other possible causes
But proctalgia fugax is not the only possible explanation for sharp pain in the booty.
Other possible causes include:
- Pelvic floor spasms: Sudden tightening of the muscles around the anus and pelvic floor can produce an intense burst of pain.
- Nerve compression: Shooting pain can develop when the pudendal nerve, which travels through the pelvic region, becomes irritated or trapped.
- Endometriosis: When endometrial-like tissue affects areas close to the rectum or pelvic nerves, pain may radiate into the area and become worse during a period.
- Pelvic floor dysfunction: Problems with how the pelvic muscles tighten and relax can place pressure on surrounding nerves, potentially triggering sharp pain.
- Digestive problems: Conditions such as IBS and constipation, as well as changes in bowel habits, may also be linked to pain around the rectum.
STIs
Patel also said sexually transmitted infections including gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes can also cause rectal symptoms in some cases.
“STIs such as gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and herpes can infect the rectum directly, leading to inflammation, nerve irritation, or muscle spasm that may cause sharp pain,” she said.
That makes the pattern surrounding the pain important, particularly when something that initially lasts only seconds starts happening frequently or is accompanied by other symptoms.
Not always a simple quirk
For people who experience occasional episodes, and symptoms become troublesome, Dr. Jilani recommends warm baths and some topical treatments.
“Treatment options can be limited because these attacks are often so short and sudden, but options that have been offered to patients include soothing the area with a warm bath and applying a topical smooth muscle relaxant treatment like GTN and diltiazem, which are also used in anal fissure treatment,” Jilani said, adding that persistent symptoms should be checked out, and not dismissed under the catchy “lightning bum” label.
Please share this story to help spread awareness about what the sudden pain could mean and when it may be worth getting checked out.
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