How to Exercise when you have Piles

Not everyone’s bathroom habits are the same, but it is good to know if you are constipated as it could lead to piles or haemorrhoids. Constipation is defined as having fewer than three bowel movements per week.¹

Common symptoms if you are constipated:¹

Your stools are dry and hard

Your bowel movement is painful and stools are difficult to pass

You have a feeling that you have not fully emptied your bowel

The link between constipation and haemorrhoids

1. If you are constipated, the food you eat moves slowly through your digestive tract, which gives the colon more time to absorb water from the digested food (waste).¹
2. This causes the stool to become dry and hard.¹
3. The hard and dry stool as well as the straining during bowel movements increase the risk of haemorrhoids.¹

More information about Haemorrhoids

Haemorrhoids also known as piles, are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum.^2,3

Haemorrhoids can be felt outside the anus (external) or can be hidden from view inside the rectum.
(internal)^2,3

Types of Haemorrhoids and the associate symptoms

External haemorrhoids

Symptoms of external haemorrhoids are irritation or itching in the anal region as well as pain and discomfort. You may also experience swelling around the anus and bleeding.³

Thrombosed haemorrhoids

Symptoms of thrombosed haemorrhoids are severe pain, swelling, inflammation and a hard lump near your anus.³

Internal haemorrhoids

Symptoms of internal haemorrhoids are caused by irritation or straining when passing stool. You may experience painless bleeding during bowel movements or notice a small amount of blood on the toilet paper.³

Haemorrhoids are common, occurring in both men and women. Although haemorrhoids do not usually cause serious health problems, they can be annoying and uncomfortable. Fortunately, there are treatments that can help ease the discomfort.²

What to do if you have haemorrhoids

Remember the longer food stays in your bowel the more water is absorbed from waste (stool/poop), this can lead to constipation and in the end might cause haemorrhoids.¹

Exercise can reduce constipation by stimulating a sluggish bowel and moving food through the intestines a bit faster.⁴

Exercising also increases your heart rate and breathing, which can help move stools out even faster.^4,5

Physical activities you can do at home

It is important to listen to your body, if it is too painful or feeling uncomfortable speak to your healthcare professional.

Activities to Avoid if you have Haemorrhoids

Exercises that put pressure on your abdominals, anal area, or haemorrhoids are best to avoid.⁷

Don’t exercise after eating a meal, wait for at least an hour.

After eating, blood flow increases to your stomach and intestines. Exercising straight after eating forces the blood flow away from the stomach and to your heart and muscles instead. The strength of your gut muscle depends on the blood flow and if it is low, your intestine’s contractions are weak and the food will move slowly through the intestine.⁵

Once thing leads to another such as constipation and haemorrhoids but exercise can help.

It can be difficult to get active when experiencing that uncomfortable feeling but speak to your healthcare professional to find out which activity is best for your body.