Treatment for Anal Fissure

Treatment for Anal Fissure

The goal for the treatment of anal fissure is to lower the pressure on the anal canal by making stools soft and to ease discomfort and bleeding. Anal fissures often heal within a few weeks if you take steps to keep your stools soft, such as increasing your fiber and fluid intake. Soaking in warm water for 10 to 20 minutes several times a day, especially after a bowel movement, can help relax the sphincter and speed healing. If symptoms persist, you will likely need additional treatment.

Non-Surgical Treatment for Anal Fissure

• Nitroglycerin (Rectiv), used topically to increase blood flow to the fissure, accelerate healing and relax the anal sphincter. Nitroglycerin is generally considered the drug of choice when other conservative measures fail. Side effects can include severe headaches.
• Topical pain relief creams such as lidocaine hydrochloride (xylocaine) can be helpful in relieving pain.
• Injection of botulinum toxin type A (botox) to paralyze the anal sphincter muscles and relieve spasms.
• Hypertension medicines such as nifedipine Procardia or Cardizem can help to relax the anal sphincter.

Surgical Treatment for Anal Fissure

If you are suffering from a chronic form of anal fissure that is stubborn to conservative treatment approaches, or if your symptoms are severe, your doctor may recommend surgery. Doctors usually perform a procedure called lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS), which involves cutting a small portion of the anal sphincter muscle to reduce spasms and pain and speed up healing. Studies have shown that for a chronic fissure, surgery is far more effective than any treatment. However, surgery has a small risk of inducing urinary incontinence.

Listed below are some of the options for treatment for anal fissure:

Medicines for Anal Fissure

Medicines for anal fissure are one of the treatments for anal fissure that helps reduce anal sphincter tone, which, in turn, increases endodermal blood flow. Medicines for anal fissure include topical nitrates, calcium channel blockers, and botulinum toxin A injections, and are considered first-line therapy. Other medicines for anal fissure include:

Laxatives

• Laxatives are a type of medicine that can help you poop more easily. Adults with anal fissure will usually be prescribed bulk-forming laxative tablets or granules. These work by helping your poop retain fluid, making it softer and less likely to dry out. Children with an anal fissure are usually prescribed an osmotic laxative oral solution. This type of laxative works by increasing the amount of fluid in the bowels, which stimulates the body to need to poop.

Painkillers

• If you experience prolonged burning pain after passing stools, your doctor may recommend taking common painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen which you can buy from a pharmacy or supermarket. If you decide to take these medicines for anal fissure, make sure you follow the dosage instructions on the patient information leaflet or packet.

Glyceryl trinitrate

• If your symptoms don’t improve within a week or 2, your GP may prescribe a medicine called glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), an ointment applied to the anal canal, usually twice a day. GTN works by expanding blood vessels in and around the anus, increasing the blood supply to the fissure, and helping it heal faster. It can also help reduce the pressure in the anal canal, which should ease the pain.

Calcium channel blockers

• Calcium channel blockers, such as diltiazem, are a type of medicine usually used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). However, topical calcium channel blockers that are applied directly to the anus have also proved useful in treating some people with anal fissures. Topical calcium channel blockers work by relaxing the sphincter muscle and increasing blood supply to the fissure. Side effects can include headaches, dizziness, and itchiness, or burning at the site when you use the medicine. Any side effects should pass within a few days once your body gets used to the medicine.

Suppositories for Anal Fissure

Suppositories for anal fissure helps to reduce inflammation. Suppositories for anal fissure practices heal most fissures (80 to 90 percent) within several weeks to several months. However, when treatments fail and anal fissures persist or come back, other measures can be tried, including:

• Applying creams for anal fissure and ointments. These creams for anal fissure may include a medicated cream (to help heal the fissure), a topical muscle relaxant (to relax the anal muscles), an anesthetic ointment (to reduce pain, if pain interferes with having a bowel movement), or nitroglycerin or calcium channel blocker ointments (to relax the anal muscles and increase blood flow to the region, promoting healing).
• Injecting botulinum toxin type A (Botox) into the anal sphincter. The injection temporarily paralyzes the anal sphincter muscle, relieving pain and promoting healing.

Surgery for Anal Fissure

Surgery for anal fissure is one of the treatments for anal fissure. But before surgery for anal fissure is considered, your doctor will re-examine you and may conduct other tests to determine why other treatments have failed to heal the fissure.

A fissure may fail to heal because of scarring or muscle spasms of the internal anal sphincter muscle. Surgery for anal fissure usually consists of making a cut to a small portion of the internal anal sphincter muscle to reduce pain and spasms and allow the fissure to heal. Cutting the muscle rarely results in the loss of the ability to control bowel movements.

Surgery for anal fissure is usually performed on an outpatient basis (the patient goes home the same day). Pain is relieved after a few days and complete healing takes place in a few weeks.

What Is An Anal Fissure?

An anal fissure is a cut or a tear in the thin, delicate lining of your anus. The tear often exposes the muscle around the anus, called the anal sphincter. The damage can cause that muscle to spasm, which can pull apart the edges of the fissure even more. The spasms can cause pain and slow down the healing. Bowel movements can also keep the fissures from getting better.

An anal fissure is considered acute if it recently happened or if you’ve had it less than 6 weeks. It’s considered chronic if it’s been more than 6 weeks or it comes back often. Anal fissures can occur in anyone at any age. The chance of having an anal fissure decrease as people get older. People who have had fissures in the past are more likely to have them in the future.

Who Gets Anal Fissures?

These tears are common, although you might think the pain and bleeding are symptoms of other conditions, like hemorrhoids. They can happen to both men and women. They can also happen to babies. Adults between 20 and 40 are most likely to get them. But you can have them at any age, even though your risk generally goes down as you get older.

Anal fissures are seen more often with certain medical conditions, such as:

• Anal cancer
• Leukemia
• STDs and HIV
• Complications from other conditions, like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis

Causes of Anal Fissures

The causes of anal fissure can be as a result of trauma to the anus and anal canal. The trauma can be caused by one or more of the following:

• Chronic (long-term) constipation
• Straining to have a bowel movement, especially if the stool is large, hard, and/or dry
• Prolonged diarrhea
• Anal sex
• Insertion of foreign objects into the anus

Other causes of anal fissure include:

• Longstanding poor bowel habits
• Overly tight or spastic anal sphincter muscles (muscles that control the closing of the anus)
• Scarring in the anorectal area
• An underlying medical problem, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (types of inflammatory bowel disease), anal cancer, leukemia, infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis), and sexually transmitted diseases (such as syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, chancroid, HIV)
• Decreased blood flow to the anorectal area

Anal fissures are also common in young infants and in women after childbirth.

Symptoms of Anal Fissures

The common symptoms of anal fissure are:

Pain

Pain is one of the symptoms of anal fissure, especially when passing stools. During the passing of a stool, the pain is sharp, and then afterward there may be a longer deep burning sensation. Fear of pain may put some patients off going to the toilet, increasing their risk of constipation.

If the person delays using the bathroom, this can make the pain and the tear worse, because the stools will be harder and larger. Some people may experience sharp pain when they clean themselves with toilet paper.

Itching

These anal fissure symptoms occur in the anal area. The sensation may be intermittent or persistent.

Dysuria

Discomfort when urinating (less common). Some patients may urinate more frequently.

Other symptoms of anal fissure include:

• Blood on the outside surface of the stool
• Blood on toilet tissue or wipes
• A visible crack or tear in the anus or anal canal
• Foul-smelling discharge

Natural Treatment for Anal Fissure

Most cases of chronic fissure do not respond to medical treatment, and natural treatment for anal fissure is the only way out. Natural treatment for anal fissure is a form of treatment for anal fissure that has been proven to be effective and causes minimal to zero side effects.

Listed below are natural treatments for anal fissure:

Home Remedies for Anal Fissure – The Most Popular Natural Treatment for Anal Fissure

The use of home remedies for anal fissure as a form of natural treatment for anal fissure is easy to achieve at home naturally and is very effective. Listed below are home remedies for anal fissure:

• Aloe vera gel: This is a home remedy for anal fissure that is known to have a soothing impact on our skin and it can also help heal your anal fissures and relieve pain. Take some fresh aloe vera gel and mix it with some olive oil or baby oil and apply it to the affected area and let it dry. Apply it 3 to 4 times a day. This will reduce your pain as well as the bleeding and accelerate the healing process.
• Coconut oil: This is another home remedy for anal fissure that serves as great lubrication which makes it easier to pass stools without damaging the anal tissues and it also aids in the process of healing. Simply apply some pure coconut oil on your anal fissures every day at least 2 to 3 times, more if needed. It does no harm and simply helps reduce pain and discomfort.
• Mix one teaspoon of olive oil with equal amounts of honey and beeswax and apply it to the affected area and let it stay for up to 2 hours and then wash it off. These ingredients help reduce itchiness and pain and help accelerate healing.
• Apple cider vinegar can cure constipation and improve your digestive system. Treating constipation and proper bowel movements will help your anal tissues relax and give them the necessary time to heal. Mix a spoonful of raw apple cider vinegar with a spoon of honey in a glass of water and consume it orally for the best results. You can add more honey if you want for a better taste.

Diet for Anal Fissure – An Essential Part of any Natural Treatment for Anal Fissure

Diet for anal fissure is a natural treatment for anal fissure that can help you to avoid this painful and inconvenient problem. Diet for anal fissure should include plenty of fiber which is found in fruit, vegetables, cereals, wholemeal bread, etc.

Listed below are other diets for anal fissure:

• Chia Seeds: Chia seeds combined with liquid form a gelatinous substance that easily moves through your intestines. As a great way to increase the fiber in your diet, chia seeds swell and expand in the digestive tract, absorbing water.
• Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are an excellent source of fiber, which adds bulk to your stool and helps it pass through your intestines. As an added bonus, flaxseeds work to treat both constipation and diarrhea!
• Leafy Green Veggies: Green veggies have magnesium and increasing magnesium-rich foods results in your stools becoming too loose and watery, you can adjust your intake until it’s comfortable and back to normal.
• Probiotic Foods: Probiotics are “good bacteria” in your gut that are able to balance various types of “bad bacteria.” They help create a healthy environment in your gut “microflora” and can help keep you free of digestive problems, including constipation or diarrhea.

Exercise for Anal Fissure – An Important Technique that Should be Included in Natural Treatment for Anal Fissure

Exercise for anal fissure is a natural treatment for anal fissure that helps promotes regular bowel movements and increases blood flow to all parts of your body, which may promote healing of an anal fissure.

Exercise for anal fissure should involve 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity, such as walking, most days of the week.

Homeopathy for Anal Fissure – #1 Natural Treatment for Anal Fissure

Homeopathy aims at curing anal fissures in this holistic manner. It improves the digestive system along with curing the immediate symptoms of anal fissures. Homeopathy for anal fissure not only treats and cures the acute anal fissure, but it is able to cure the chronic form of anal fissures also.

Homeopathic medicines for anal fissures are able to eradicate the tendency to have fissures. This means that recurrence of anal fissures is avoided. That is why homeopathy for anal fissures is known to have the best treatment of anal fissures. Homeopathy for anal fissure is a natural treatment for anal fissure that does not cause any adverse side effects. This is because homeopathic medicines are completely natural medicines.

Listed below are homeopathic remedies for anal fissure:

Graphites:

• It's one of the best homeopathic medicines for anal fissure This medicine is usually recommended to patients who are obese, overweight, or facing constipation problems.

Nitric Acid:

• There is a sharp pain in the anal or rectal region. The person with anal fissure may also feel a tear in the rectum and discharge which may even extend to the urine, stool, and even perspiration.

Ratanhia:

• It is another homeopathic medicine to treat anal fissures. This medicine helps in treating pain during anal fissures.

Paeonia:

• This homeopathic medicine is mostly to treat the discharge that occurs during anal fissure. The patient feels internal chilliness in the rectal region after using this medicine.

Conclusion

Anal fissures begin with tearing of the mucosa during defecation. Hard stools are more commonly involved, but explosive liquid stools can produce the same results. This disease starts as a vicious cycle of pain, causing spasms in the rectal sphincter muscle, which leads to increased friction during bowel movements and causes further tearing and pain. Currently, ischemia is considered the most likely cause for the development of an anal fissure. There is a shortage of anal blood vessels, especially in the posterior midline, and anal spasm is thought to further reduce blood flow.

Natural treatment for anal fissure is effective, safe, and affordable, however, this condition requires professional care and if you choose to treat your fissure naturally, contact Philadelphia Homeopathic Clinic at (215) 621-8485 to schedule an appointment for an initial comprehensive homeopathic evaluation that includes a regular examination as well as computerized testings, iridology, pulse diagnostic, etc.