Nothing can ruin your holidays quite like the pain and discomfort of anal fissures.
If you deal with chronic constipation or another type of long-term condition that affects your anus, you’re at a higher risk for anal fissures. Unfortunately, if you’re at a higher risk for anal fissures, you may already be all too familiar with the pain and discomfort associated with them.
While you may not be able to change some of your risk factors for anal fissures, such as having inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), there are plenty of preventive measures you can take to mitigate some of that risk.
As you prepare to head into the busy holiday season, Betsy Clemens, MD, and the rest of our team at Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center in Town and Country, Missouri, want to make sure you prioritize your digestive health, especially if you’re prone to anal fissures.
This month’s blog helps you prepare to have a healthy and enjoyable holiday with some practical habits.
An anal fissure is a crack or tear in the tissue that lines your anal canal. It can happen slowly over time or suddenly due to acute trauma. Either way, anal fissures can cause bleeding during a bowel movement and severe pain, even for several hours after using the toilet.
Most often, anal fissures are caused by anal trauma, which can be triggered by several things, including:
The most common indicator of an anal fissure is pain during bowel movements. While hemorrhoids can also cause pain, hemorrhoid pain tends to be dull and constant.
The pain from anal fissures, however, is often much more severe. In fact, some report that the pain radiates through their legs and back and lingers for several hours.
If you regularly have trouble with constipation or struggle to have normal bowel movements, it’s important to take measures to prevent anal fissures. For optimal digestive health, we recommend:
By doing everything you can to keep things moving regularly, you lower the risk of tearing anal tissue.
If you develop an anal fissure, don’t fret. Anal fissures can heal on their own, and there are plenty of things you can do to manage your symptoms while your body repairs the torn tissues.
To alleviate pain during bowel movements, drink plenty of water and take stool softeners. To reduce any irritation or inflammation, take baths and apply a hydrocortisone cream.
If your symptoms linger for longer than six weeks, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with our team so we can provide any needed treatments or perform procedures to give you much-needed relief.
Simply call our office or use our online scheduling tool to book an appointment today.
