Rectal tenesmus

Rectal tenesmus is a feeling of incomplete defecation.^[1] It is the sensation of inability or difficulty to empty the bowel at defecation, even if the bowel contents have already been evacuated. Tenesmus indicates the feeling of a residue, and is not always correlated with the actual presence of residual fecal matter in the rectum. It is frequently painful and may be accompanied by involuntary straining and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Tenesmus has both a nociceptive and a neuropathic component.

Often, rectal tenesmus is simply called tenesmus. The term rectal tenesmus is a retronym to distinguish defecation-related tenesmus from vesical tenesmus.^[2] Vesical tenesmus is a similar condition, experienced as a feeling of incomplete voiding despite the bladder being empty.

Tenesmus is a closely related topic to obstructed defecation. The term is from Latin: tēnesmus, from Greek τεινεσμός teinesmos, from τείνω teínō to stretch, strain.