Anal fissures are tears or cracks on the anal canal caused by an injury or trauma that causes anal skin to stretch and break. They can cause sharp pain and bleeding during bowel movements that may last from a few minutes or hours.
Treatment of anal fissure is focused on healing the torn lining and relieving pain and discomfort. How long anal fissures last? What is the healing time? Will it go away? These are the most common questions anal fissure sufferers ask themselves and the doctor.
Anal fissures may be acute or chronic. Acute anal fissures don’t last more than six weeks and commonly heal with home treatments and self-care. Chronic anal fissures or those that last beyond six weeks may require further evaluation, medication, or surgery.
Acute anal fissures typically go away with a few days or weeks of care. Since trauma from constipation is the most common cause of anal fissure, some adjustments in diet and lifestyle are often indicated. Adequate hydration and a fiber-rich diet are natural ways to improve digestion and soften stools. Fiber supplements may be taken if the diet is deficient in fiber. Taking a sitz bath for around 20 minutes at least twice a day accelerates healing by cleaning the anal area, relieving itching, stimulating blood flow to the anus, and soothing the anal sphincter.
In many cases, acute fissures respond quickly to nitroglycerin treatment. Rubbing nitroglycerin ointments heal anal cuts and relieve pain and itching. Calcium-channel blockers have also been used topically and work by promoting blood circulation and broadening the sphincter muscle. Botox injection is also used in some cases to stop muscle contractions, which in turn reduces the pain and allows the torn lining to heal.
For anal fissures that don’t heal with conservative treatments or medicines, surgery may be the only option.
A lateral internal sphincterotomy can be carried out as an outpatient surgical procedure under either general or local anesthesia. A doctor makes a tiny incision in the inner anal sphincter to relieve contractions along the injured lining, thus healing the fissures and stopping the development of more anal tears.
Painless chronic fissures not caused by anal contractions may need surgical removal and restoration with the use of healthy tissues to promote blood flow to the anal area. Rectal advancement flaps make use of the anal or rectal lining and their underlying tissues to cover the site once the fissure is removed. This procedure is usually recommended for treatment of anal fissures caused by childbirth.
Recovery time depends on the type of surgery and post-surgery care. The doctor will prescribe medication to relieve the pain after the surgery. A topical nitroglycerin ointment may also be applied to soothe pain weeks after the operation. Sitz baths clean the site of the wound and the anal area, stimulate blood flow, and facilitate wound healing.
A patient who has undergone surgery for anal fissures can usually go back to normal activities one to four weeks after the procedure.
How long anal fissures last? What is the healing time? Will it go away? The answer will vary depending on the type of treatment taken to heal the cuts. Rest assured though, that anal fissures will go away with the right treatment.
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