Like other small cuts or tears to the skin, an
Anal fissures often heal within a few weeks with appropriate home treatment. Take steps to keep your stool soft, such as increasing your intake of fiber and fluids. Soak in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes several times a day, especially after bowel movements. This can help relax the sphincter and promote healing.
Topical nitrates, for example, nitroglycerine, will help relax the muscles around the anus and increase blood flow to the fissure to promote healing. Healing may take 6–8 weeks but may require 12 weeks.
How do you know if a fissure is healing? You'll start to notice your symptoms improving as your fissure is healing. Your pain should lessen and if you had any bleeding, this should stop too. You should have a follow-up appointment with your doctor after six to eight weeks.
People whose anal fissures don't heal well may have an imbalance in anal pressure that prevents blood from circulating normally through the blood vessels around the anus. The reduced blood flow prevents healing.
If a fissure lasts more than 8 to 12 weeks, you may need prescription medicines. These may include nitroglycerin cream, high blood pressure medicines in pill or gel form, or injections of botulinum toxin (Botox). If medicines don't stop your symptoms, you may need to consider surgery.
Majority of fissures is acute and resolve within 6-8 wk of conservative treatment. However, a significant minority of fissures becomes chronic and remains a continuing problem for months or even years.
Walking promotes overall good health. It lowers the chances of formation of hard stools and stimulates and promotes blood flow which is helpful if you have a fissure.
Once a fissure develops, the internal anal sphincter typically goes into spasm, causing further separation of the tear, constricting blood flow to the area, impairing healing, and causing pain.
Some fissures can be minimally symptomatic, but most patients present with severe pain, bleeding, or itching. The pain can be localized to the anus but can radiate to the buttocks, upper posterior thighs, or lower back. Often the pain is triggered by a bowel movement, can last for hours, and can be severe.
Getting more fiber (through your diet or supplements), drinking more water, and using a stool softener can ease bowel movements. This can reduce the pain of having a bowel movement when you have a fissure and may even prevent future fissures. Taking a sitz bath can ease symptoms.
Apply a topical ointment or cream to your fissure. Petroleum jelly can promote healing by sealing in moisture and acting as an antibiotic. Medicated creams can treat inflammation and pain. Take a sitz bath two or three times a day for at least 10-15 minutes.
Sitting can be quite painful with an anal fissure. You may see a few drops of blood in the toilet bowel or when wiping.
Sitting continuously for 5 or more hours a day seems to increase the risk of developing hemorrhoids and/or anal fissure.
In addition, stress and psychological disturbances may have a role in the development of chronic anal fissures through causing sympathetic dysfunction manifesting as a tonic pressure rise in the pressure of the anal canal [8]. Stress may be implicated in the formation and development of chronic anal fissures.
In adults, fissures may be caused by passing large, hard stools, or having diarrhea for a long time. Other factors may include: Decreased blood flow to the area. Too much tension in the sphincter muscles that control the anus.
Over-wiping with rough and dry toilet paper can lead to itching, pain, and bleeding. In fact, improper wiping is the leading cause of America's most common bum-related injury – anal fissures (aka anal tears). Other common problems include UTI's and hemorrhoids.
Fissures are most commonly seen in middle-aged and younger patients, with mean age of onset 39.9 years. Fissures may also occur in children and the elderly.
Fissures typically cause severe pain and bleeding with bowel movements. Fissures are quite common in the general population, but are often confused with other causes of pain and bleeding, such as hemorrhoids. Anal fissures can occur at any age and have equal gender distribution.
Small fissures can heal up on their own without any treatment. If you have a very large fissure, it can require a visit to a proctologist to do surgery.
Piles are mostly painless and unnoticeable. Fissures cause a lot of pain.
Either can cause pain, itching and bleeding. However, if you are in pain and don't feel an external lump, the condition is more likely to be a fissure. If you notice that you are leaking mucus from your anus, the problem is probably a hemorrhoid.