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By Hemorrhoid.com | June 18, 2025
If every trip to the bathroom feels like a battle, you’re not alone. Hemorrhoids can turn a routine bowel movement into a painful, anxiety-inducing experience.
These swollen veins around the anus or lower rectum often flare up due to constipation, straining, or sitting too long, making it difficult to pass stool without discomfort or fear of worsening symptoms.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through how to poop with hemorrhoids: the right techniques, positions, and habits that can reduce hemorrhoid pain and prevent further irritation. You’ll learn practical, doctor-backed strategies to make bowel movements easier, faster, and less painful, so you can regain comfort and control.
A hemorrhoid is a swollen blood vessel in the rectal or anal canal area, often caused by straining during bowel movements, constipation, or prolonged sitting. They can be internal (inside the rectum) or external (under the skin around the anus).
It can hurt to poop with hemorrhoids, especially if they’re inflamed, swollen, or thrombosed (clotted). The pain is often sharp or burning and may be accompanied by symptoms of hemorrhoids such as bleeding, itching, or a feeling of incomplete evacuation. Hard stools can worsen the discomfort by irritating the swollen tissue during passage.
To reduce pain, soften your stool with more fiber, water, and laxatives or stool softeners. Using a hemorrhoid cream or taking a sitz bath before and after a bowel movement can also help.
When you have hemorrhoids, even routine bowel movements can become a painful and dreaded experience. One of the most overlooked ways to reduce this discomfort is by simply adjusting how you sit on the toilet for easier passage of stools. Your body’s position, including the position of the rectum, affects how easily stool passes through your colon, and poor posture can lead to unnecessary straining, which only makes hemorrhoids worse.
The right position can help:
If you’re suffering from hemorrhoids, you already know how painful and frustrating bathroom trips can be. So, let’s talk about how you sit on the toilet, because the right position can make a big difference. These simple posture adjustments can ease pressure, reduce straining, and make bowel movements less painful when you’re dealing with hemorrhoids.
This is the gold standard for easier pooping.
Squatting straightens the rectal canal and aligns your colon for a smoother, more complete bowel movement. To mimic this position:
This posture takes pressure off the rectum and helps reduce straining, which can speed up healing and lower the risk of flare-ups.
If you don’t have a stool, simply leaning forward can help.
This position still encourages better alignment of the rectum and reduces resistance during bowel movements.
Sitting completely upright or slouching can put extra pressure on the rectal veins. This worsens hemorrhoids and makes pooping more difficult. Stay mindful of your posture, and keep your spine slightly curved with a forward lean for best results.
Let’s take a look at some more tips to make your bowel movement easier:
Don’t delay bowel movements. Holding it in can lead to harder stool, making it more painful to pass and increasing strain on hemorrhoids.
Sit only when you’re ready to go. Avoid using the toilet for reading or phone time. Prolonged sitting increases pressure on the rectal veins and worsens symptoms.
Drink plenty of water throughout the day and add high-fibre foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your meals. This keeps the stool soft and easier to pass.
Don’t force it. Straining puts pressure on swollen veins and can make hemorrhoids worse. If it doesn’t come naturally, get up, walk around, and try again later.
Soak your anal area in warm water for 10–15 minutes after bowel movements or a few times daily. This helps reduce pain, swelling, and irritation.
Apply hemorrhoid creams with ingredients like lidocaine or witch hazel for temporary relief. Medicated wipes can also soothe the area and keep it clean.
Regular light exercise, like walking, improves digestion and promotes more regular bowel movements. It also helps reduce pressure in the lower rectum.
If you want to ease up on the pain during your condition, you can consider applying a cream such as Revivol-XR that helps soothe inflammation and help you poop better. Shop now.
Painful, swollen hemorrhoids can make every trip to the bathroom feel unbearable. Revivol-XR’s Advanced Hemorrhoid & Fissure Relief Cream is designed to ease that discomfort right at the source.
With 5% Lidocaine for fast numbing relief and Phenylephrine to reduce swelling, it helps make bowel movements less painful. Infused with aloe and witch hazel, it also calms irritated skin and supports healing, so you can go without the stress.
Make your bathroom routine less painful. Try Revivol-XR and feel the difference where it matters most.
Knowing how to poop with hemorrhoids is essential for reducing pain, preventing irritation, and promoting healing. Straining, poor posture, and ignoring the urge to go can all make symptoms worse and delay recovery.
Now that you understand the right techniques and habits, from positioning to hygiene and over-the-counter treatments, you can make bowel movements more manageable and less painful.
Simple changes like eating more fibre, staying hydrated, using sitz baths, and applying a hemorrhoid cream like Revivol-XR can make a big difference. Take care of your body, listen to the signs, and don’t wait to make those small adjustments that lead to real relief.
Yes, over-the-counter hemorrhoid creams can help with irritation, swelling, and discomfort at the anal opening. They often have things like hydrocortisone, lidocaine, or witch hazel that help lower inflammation and ease symptoms of external hemorrhoids. You should apply the cream gently to the affected area. This will help with pain right where you need it.
With the right self-care, hemorrhoid symptoms of external hemorrhoids often get better in about a week. But if you have rectal bleeding or a lot of pain, it can take longer. In these severe cases, you should see a healthcare provider for a physical exam. Clinical trials show that if the symptoms of external hemorrhoids do not go away, there may be another problem, like ulcerative colitis, that needs a doctor’s care.
Yes, sitting upright or slouching on the toilet can increase pressure on the anal area, which may worsen hemorrhoids. A forward-leaning position with elevated feet helps reduce that pressure and makes elimination more comfortable.
No, sitting on the toilet for too long can actually make hemorrhoids worse. It increases pressure on the rectal veins, which can lead to more swelling and discomfort. Try to go only when you feel the urge and avoid lingering.
To poop with hemorrhoids and constipation, use a footstool to elevate your feet, avoid straining, stay hydrated, eat high-fiber foods, and consider using stool softeners for easier bowel movements.
