Anal Fissure: Treatment, Symptoms, Causes and Healing

It is the small cut on the thin moist tissue which lines the anus. It is very common in younger age groups or in infants. Mostly they can be treated at home, in some cases, doctors prescribe some medication or do surgery to treat it.

What is an Anal Fissure?

Hard stool and straining around the anus cause the tearing of tissue around the anus is known as an Anal Fissure. Fissures can be painful sometimes and they also bleed in some cases.

Symptoms of Anal Fissure

Following are the symptoms of an anal fissure are:

• Pain during bowel moments, even after bowel moment
• Constipation
• Blood on the fecal matter
• Blood on the underwear or tissue
• Burning or itching around the anus
• Tissue tear around the anus 

Causes of Anal Fissure

Due to the hard stool because of chronic constipation tissue around the anus tear or frequent diarrhea can also pull apart the tissue around the anus.

• Staring near the anus area due to constipation
• Staring because of parturition
• Having Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
• Anal Sex
• Tight muscle of the anal sphincter 
• Diarrhea for a long time

Other rare conditions which develop fissures are:

• HIV
• Anal Cancer
• Tuberculosis
• Syphilis
• Herpes

Treatment of Anal Fissure

The main focus during treating fissures is to decrease the pressure near the anus. This is achieved by soft fecal matter. Following treatment in combination try during treating fissure:

• Giving medications to soften the fecal matter. It treats constipation. By drinking plenty of water.
• Avoiding caffeine-containing products
• Intake of high-fiber food
• Heat therapy for 10-20 minutes many times in a day to relax the muscles of the anus.
• Cleaning around the anus area gently
• Apply a lubricating substance around the anus
• Avoid staring during bowel moment

By the above methods mostly the fissure is healed after some time. But if the above methods are not helping to heal fissures then the other methods try to heal them.

• Using some creams available in the market to reduce inflammation.
• Using creams or ointment to heal the fissure, and relax the anus muscles.
• Surgery for fissure.

Prevention of Anal Fissure

The following are the preventive measure to control the fissure:

If in Infant

• Changing the diaper frequently.
• If a child facing constipation, treat it.

In Adults

• Keeping the anus area dry and clean
• Maintaining hygiene. Clean the anus area with a damp soft cloth or cotton.
• Treat diarrhea or constipation.
• Intake of high-fiber vegetables and fruits.
• Taking plenty of water and other fluids.
• Physically active
• Keeping low strain around the anus at the time of bowel moment

Risk Factors

• Constipation and straining due to hard stool around the anus increase the chances of torn tissue.
• After childbirth anal fissure is common.
• Crohn’s Disease: This causes inflammation of gastrointestinal tract. This causes the tearing of tissue around the anus, which causes anal fissures.
• Anal Sex
• It occurred at any age but is normally observed in the very adult (infant) or in mid-age.

How to heal an Anal Fissure?

In most cases, anal fissure is healed at home. Maintaining hygiene, and keeping the anus area dry, help in healing the fissure easily. Taking a high-fiber diet, drinking enough water, having sitz baths, and using medication that reduces the inflammation also helps to heal the fissure.

Pain Management

Anal fissures are painful at the time of bowel moment. By using some ointment and medication to treat inflammation, and overcome the pain. Taking a warm bath relaxes the rectal muscles and also helps in healing.

Please Note: These measures and Symptoms may vary and are just to provide educational information about the disease and are not standard practices. We advise you to consult a healthcare professional, before trying anything at home.

FAQs on Anal Fissure

Question 1: How does a fissure occur?

Answer:

Fissures occurred because of the tearing of anus tissue due to constipation, and hard stool tears in the inner membrane of the anus.

Question 2: Who is at risk for anal fissures?

Answer:

People are at high risk those facing the following factors:

1. Constipation
2. Diarrhea
3. In cases of females after giving Childbirth
4. Staring around the anus during the bowel moment

Question 3: What does surgery for an anal fissure involve?

Answer:

In normal cases, fissures heal themselves by doing some prevention. In some rare case doctor do surgical procedures in which they remove the inner layer of the muscle sphincter of the anus process is known as lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS). Surgery helps in fast healing and gives relief from pain.

Question 4: What are the complications of a fissure?

Answer:

Some complications that occur due to anal fissures are:

1. Pain during bowel moment
2. A single tear can extend to nearby muscles.
3. Repeatedly occurring of anal Fissure.