How to sit correctly with hemorrhoids and what to sit on (soft or hard)

What are hemorrhoids and why does pain occur?

Hemorrhoids are a disease that occurs as a result of stretching and deformation of blood vessels in the rectum and anus. This occurs under the influence of many factors, but the main ones are considered to be an increase in intravascular pressure in the pelvic organs and the development of stagnant processes. Veins and capillaries become overfilled with blood, their walls lose tone and elasticity, resulting in the formation of vascular nodes that cause unbearable pain to a person. At the onset of the disease, discomfort rarely occurs; pain develops mainly during bowel movements and during severe physical exertion. With the further development of the pathology, the symptoms worsen; it hurts the person to walk, sit, or perform bowel movements.

Pain syndrome occurs due to irritation of the nerve endings located in the rectal area. They are responsible for the normal contraction of muscle fibers, which allows for the act of bowel movement.

Many experts believe that you can get rid of pain from hemorrhoids by choosing the right sitting position, chair, and also taking into account some other aspects of workplace organization.

How does sitting position affect the disease?

While sitting, the pressure in the abdominal cavity increases, including in the rectal area. As a result, the outflow of blood is disrupted, veins and vessels become overfilled with blood, pain, swelling and other manifestations of pathology develop. Despite this, it cannot be assumed that hemorrhoids develop under the influence of only this provoking factor. Often the pathology occurs in people engaged in heavy physical work, in patients with excess body weight. A major role is played by the hereditary factor, various diseases accompanied by weakness of the vascular walls.

Types of hemorrhoids

The pathological condition of the rectum in women and men can be expressed in the following forms:

external;
internal;
combined.

If nodes and seals are visible to the naked eye, then we are talking about external hemorrhoids. In the case when hemorrhoidal cones are beyond the reach of a person’s vision, inside the rectum, then this type of disease can safely be called internal. If there are formations of dense tissue both inside and outside, then this is a combined type. Let us dwell in more detail on internal hemorrhoids.

General recommendations

If sitting with hemorrhoids hurts, but work requires it, you can reduce the pressure on the rectum and tailbone area by following simple rules. These include:

It is important to choose the right height of the chair on which a person spends a long time. The legs should be bent at an angle of 90 degrees, which allows you to transfer part of the load to the feet;
It is desirable that the chair has a back and armrests. Relying on them, a person relieves pressure on the anorectal area;
If you have hemorrhoids, you should sit for no more than 2 hours. During breaks between work, be sure to get up, do warm-ups or special gymnastics;
It is better to sit on a surface with medium hardness; a seat that is too soft can cause even more prolapse of cavernous formations outward.

A chair for a person with hemorrhoids must meet all quality standards and be made of natural materials

Along with this, the person must be prescribed the correct drug therapy. Dimexide has a good effect on hemorrhoids and other painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Important! In addition to posture and choice of chair, for hemorrhoids it is recommended to use special orthopedic pillows; sometimes the use of cool heating pads is allowed.

To prevent hemorrhoids, it is important to maintain a drinking regime.

Glass of water

on an empty stomach or
a cup of coffee
daily before the morning toilet improves intestinal motility.

For constipation, it is useful to drink water containing magnesium ions or sulfate

. Drink a glass of mineralized water at room temperature 3 times a day.

Special herbal infusions for the intestines and even ordinary green tea are useful. The latter contains flavonoids - natural antioxidants and tannins, which increase vascular tone and reduce the severity of the inflammatory process in the tissues of the anus. It is important that green tea is of high quality and properly brewed. For gastritis and stomach ulcers, green tea may be contraindicated.

at least 2 liters of liquid per day

cognac is extremely harmful to the intestines.

- it has a toxic toxic effect on the cavernous tissue of hemorrhoids and “corrodes” it.

What to do if sitting hurts

Is it possible to sit if rectal disease develops? If the pathology worsens, at first you should try to avoid sitting positions as little as possible. It is best to walk at a leisurely pace and lie on your side.

To avoid discomfort, you can put a small pillow under your back or roll up a roll from a large towel.

If you experience bleeding, pain and itching, you should consult a proctologist. The disease should not be neglected, since chronic pathology is very difficult to fight.

To relieve itchy pain during an exacerbation of the disease, you can try anti-inflammatory compresses or lotions. For example, sitz baths with the addition of a small amount of potassium permanganate are helpful.

Warm baths with the addition of medicinal plants relieve itching and burning, and the nodes decrease in size

Cold lotions and compresses are an effective way to relieve burning and swelling from the inflamed area. You can apply ice wrapped in a towel to the sore spot for a few minutes.

There are many medications that help relieve pain from hemorrhoids. It is better to take such products in the form of rectal suppositories or gels.

If you have hemorrhoids, it is better to walk or lie down

Choosing a chair

What to sit on if you have hemorrhoids? If it is painful for a person to sit due to varicose veins in the rectal area, special attention should be paid to which chair to sit on. A desk chair must meet several criteria:

the presence of a high straight back without bends;
comfortable and soft armrests;
the depth of the seat should correspond to the length of the thigh, and the height to the length of the lower leg;
the seat should be semi-rigid, the upholstery should be made of natural fabric, the filling should be foam rubber or polyurethane;
The legs of the chair are stable, the product should not wobble.

If you have hemorrhoids, it hurts to sit even on a comfortable chair in the right position; doctors recommend using special pillows.

Using an orthopedic pillow against hemorrhoids

For patients forced to lead a sedentary lifestyle, doctors advise using special devices in the form of pillows to relieve stress on the rectal area. Pillows can be round, square, rectangular, they can have different fillings, heights and sizes, but their meaning is that each product has a special hole or recess located directly in the area of the coccyx and anus. The products can be used not only during illness, but also for people at risk of hemorrhoids.

It is better to entrust the choice of a pillow against hemorrhoids to your doctor

Criteria for choosing an orthopedic product:

Depending on the filler, there are inflatable, foam and polyurethane pillows. When choosing a device, the patient's weight should be taken into account. For people with excess body weight, it is better to avoid inflatable and foam rubber products; products based on elastic polyurethane are suitable for them;
the fabric of the product should be natural, allow air to pass through well, and not create a greenhouse effect, because overheating of the anorectal area has a detrimental effect on the progression of hemorrhoids;
It is better to choose products from well-known manufacturers that are popular in the modern market and have positive patient reviews. The product must have a quality certificate.

Important! Even when using an orthopedic product, we must not forget that it is periodically necessary to get up from your workplace.

Stages (degrees) of hemorrhoids

I degree:

acute hemorrhoids: painful, tight-elastic small nodules in the anal area;
chronic hemorrhoids: occasional bleeding without prolapse of hemorrhoids.

II degree:

acute hemorrhoids: increased pain; compaction and enlargement of hemorrhoids, capable of prolapse and self-reduction into the intestinal lumen; redness of the skin around the anus; anal sphincter spasm;
chronic hemorrhoids: prolapse and self-reduction of hemorrhoids, sometimes with bleeding from the rectum. The prolapse of nodes into the intestinal lumen or externally is provoked by straining.

III degree:

acute hemorrhoids: inflammation and hyperemia spread to surrounding tissues; pain intensifies; around the anus - unreducible purple-bluish, dense, thrombosed painful nodes with foci of necrosis; risk of significant bleeding;
chronic hemorrhoids: hemorrhoids periodically prolapse into the intestinal lumen or externally, and are reduced manually.

IV degree – chronic hemorrhoids: hemorrhoids fall out and cannot be reduced on their own.
At stages 3 and 4, the weak, thin longitudinal muscle cannot contract normally, so independent reduction of the node is impossible. If you do not manually adjust it in a timely manner, complications such as paraproctitis, fever, bleeding, and anal fissures develop.

Tips for drivers

Hemorrhoids are a common occurrence among drivers who are forced to spend long periods of time behind the wheel. Many representatives of this profession suffer from constant pain and exacerbations of pathology. To alleviate the condition, drivers should know how to sit behind the steering wheel of a car correctly. There are many devices available to help reduce discomfort during hemorrhoids.

Let's look at a few of them:

orthopedic pillows for hemorrhoids. These products are often placed on the car seat. Many of them are equipped with special fixing straps, which ensures ease of use. The pillows are filled with polyurethane and foam rubber. It is not recommended to use inflatable devices in cars;
special massage mats. The devices are made of high-strength natural material, wood, bone, and help stimulate blood circulation and restore lymphatic drainage. Contraindications include acute disease, surgery, open wounds;
pillows with natural fillings. Products filled with buckwheat husks, flaxseed and other products have a good effect. They help to perform a gentle massage, prevent stagnation and the formation of blood clots.

Special massage mats help increase blood circulation

When choosing a device, you should consult with a specialist and strictly follow his recommendations. During long flights, you can stop, walk near the car, and do a light workout, if the situation allows it.

How to sit after node removal surgery

Hemorrhoids often require surgical intervention. After surgery, patients have a question: how and when can they sit after removal of cones? Only a doctor can answer here, because everything depends on the type of intervention and the individual characteristics of the body. After using minimally invasive techniques, sitting on a soft or hard chair is not recommended for the first 24 hours.

The patient needs to lie down or stand. After an open or closed hemorrhoidectomy or hemorrhoidopexy, you should not sit for the first week. With the permission of the attending physician, you can spend a small amount of time in a sitting position. It is better if it is a bed or chair with medium hardness.

Proctologist and professional treatment of hemorrhoids

Proctology deals with the study, treatment and prevention of diseases of the excretory system, from the colon to the last part of the anus. Thus, a specialist in this field can not only tell us how to treat hemorrhoids, but also explain its cause and study other associated diseases. An interview with the patient will help to better determine the causes of hemorrhoids in a particular case. They can be different: for example, in women after childbirth and in men working as drivers.

After studying the symptoms of hemorrhoids, the doctor will determine how developed they are. However, to accurately determine the patient's condition, it is also necessary to examine the inside of the anus. Hemorrhoids that appear externally may mean that we also have internal hemorrhoids, which are more difficult to detect.

The proctologist can also decide whether treatment should include surgery. Anal varicose nodes at an advanced stage most often require resection. This is not a difficult or dangerous procedure, but it will create some discomfort. This procedure can also lead to various complications. Therefore, it should be used with caution. Fortunately, in most cases, surgery can be avoided.

Gymnastics between sitting

Every person leading a sedentary lifestyle, regardless of the presence of hemorrhoids, should get up from their desk every 1.5–2 hours and do a basic warm-up or therapeutic exercises. Physical education helps disperse blood throughout the body, reduce the risk of developing stagnant processes, and prevent possible complications. Charging can be done both at home and at home.

A set of exercises for office workers:

quickly squeeze and unclench your buttocks. This can be done in a sitting or standing position. At a time it is necessary to perform at least 10 contractions in 3 approaches;
Ordinary walking will help disperse blood throughout the body; you can walk several flights of steps;
standing, feet shoulder-width apart, lift your left leg, bent at the knee, lower it, then the right. Do 20 repetitions for each leg;
make several strains as during bowel movements or during childbirth.

This simple warm-up will help significantly improve the condition of the veins in the rectum and anus.

Regular exercise helps prevent complications of hemorrhoids and reduce pain

Gymnastics to perform at home:

scissors - performed while lying on your back. It is necessary to raise your legs at an angle of 45 degrees, alternately cross your straight limbs, imitating clipping scissors;
birch - performed in the same position, legs straight, lift the pelvis off the floor as much as possible, leaning on bent elbows, fixate for 5-10 seconds, return to the starting position;
walking on the buttocks - sitting on the floor, lift your left buttock off the floor, rearrange it, then the right. You will get movement on the buttocks. This exercise perfectly accelerates the blood in the pelvic organs;
walking with high knees will help accelerate the metabolic processes of the whole body;
back arches - bend your lower back up, then down, standing on all fours, repeat the exercise 5-10 times.

Important! During an exacerbation, it is better to refuse physical exercise, as this can negatively affect the course of hemorrhoids, cause severe pain and other complications.

Moderate physical activity

When working sedentarily, you should get up every hour and take breaks for at least five to ten minutes. It is advisable to move during your lunch break.
Introduce moderate physical activity: exercise, swimming, running and walking. This is especially true for those who drive.
Do simple exercises at home. These are pelvic lifts, lying on your back, abdominal exercises, bending.
In the office, sit on a hard chair, it is safer than a soft chair. Even while working at the computer, you can quietly squeeze and relax your buttocks.

Kegel exercise on a chair

Alfred Kegel is a famous American gynecologist who developed an exercise that was originally intended to restore the uterus after childbirth, prevent urinary incontinence and prolapse of internal organs. Later it turned out that this exercise has a positive effect on all pelvic organs. For hemorrhoids, Kegel exercises can be done while sitting in a chair or standing. To do this, a person needs to learn to contract and relax internal muscles. The mechanism of execution resembles an attempt to hold back urination. The muscles need to be squeezed, stay in this position for a few seconds, then relax. To begin with, you should perform 5–7 repetitions, gradually increasing the load.

The stool should always be soft

To do this: You should eat foods high in fiber and dietary fiber. Such foods are vegetables, fruits, cereal shells (wheat, rye, rice, etc.). Dietary fiber is valuable because it has the ability to retain water. In addition, they swell in the stomach and become twice the volume that a person ate. For example, wheat bran increases 5 times its original mass, it is clear that they will retain water five times longer. This allows the stomach to better digest, literally chew, food, which ultimately leads to a decrease in the density of feces and their rapid movement through the intestines. For patients suffering from hemorrhoids, this fact is extremely important, since when the stool is soft, emptying occurs painlessly.