Anal fissure
What is an anal fissure?
Symptoms of anal fissure
Causes of anal fissure
Complications that stop healing
Treatment / remedies for anal fissure
What is an anal fissure?
An anal fissure is a crack or tear in the skin of the anal canal. The fissure can be visible on the outside of the anus, or sometimes down as deep as the anal sphincter muscle. They can vary from a small cut that is quite hard to see, to chronic, deep, non-healing fissures.
Anal fissures are usually caused by tearing and over-stretching the skin, whereas haemorrhoids (piles) are swollen or inflamed veins in the rectum and anus, more like varicose veins in the anus.
Anal fissures usually heal within a couple of weeks.
Symptoms of anal fissure
- Pain after defecation. Chronic cases have pain when sitting, or all the time.
- Bright red blood on toilet paper or in the toilet bowl.
Causes of anal fissure
- Stretching the anal skin (anal mucosa) beyond its capability.
- A passing fibrous splinter on the edge of a piece of hard faeces.
- Constipation. The passing of large, hard stools.
- Prolonged diarrhoea or Crohn's disease.
- Hard or rough wiping.
- Excessive anal intercourse.
- Childbirth.
Complications that stop healing
Anal fissures usually heal within a couple of weeks, but sometimes the factors below may prevent healing. In this case, doctors may suggest surgery or muscle relaxation injections such as botox. Surgery always comes with risks, including anal leakage (faecal incontinence). Nearly half of all surgery patients suffer mild incontinence in the immediate surgical recovery period, though it often resolves.
- The most common cause of non-healing is spasm of the internal anal sphincter muscle, which constricts blood supply to the anal mucosa. An infection with faecal bacteria can take hold. This may cause a deep, non-healing infected ulcer.
- Infection and inflammation.
- Physical irritation from excessive wiping or scratching.
Treatment / remedies for anal fissure
- Avoid straining when defecating. This includes any muscle strain, even if you have no constipation. Especially avoid straining if you have diarrhoea. Both constipation and diarrhoea need to be treated.
- Gentle anal hygiene, including using soft toilet paper and / or cleaning with water. If you can gently wash your anus after going to the toilet, this is much better than wiping. A fissure is an open cut, and the last thing you want to do is keep opening the cut and infecting it (with dirty paper). After gently washing and drying, it's OK to apply a little coconut oil or a haemorrhoid cream. But don't scratch it.
- Living foods and probiotics to get your digestion back to normal.
- Flowers of sulphur.
- Remedies and experience contributed by visitors to Grow Youthful.