Do You Feel Pain When Passing Stool? (ANAL FISSURE)
ANAL FISSURE |
What
is Anal fissure
Anal
fissure is the most common cause for painful defecation (Opening bowels). Most
times it is also associated with bleeding but not all the time. It is a small
cut in the anal canal up to skin.
Pain
while passing motion which can last up to few hours afterwards is the commonest
complaint. This is usually associated with Constipation (Passing hard
stool/pushing hard to open bowel). At times it is seen after episode of loose
motion.
How
is such severe pain caused?
Easiest
way to understand is, if you sustain a small cut while cutting vegetables, pain
will persist till the cut healed and get aggravated when ever anything touches
is -- including clothes. Similarly pain get stimulated when the stool passes
through the anal canal touching the fissure.
What
is the treatment of anal fissure?
When
treated appropriately in the initial stages, fissure heals upto 75% with
medicines. Longer the duration less likely it is to heal with creams and might
need simple surgery to relax the sphincters so that fissure can heal.
Main
stay of treatment includes keeping stools soft. This is usually achieved
by laxatives during the period of anal fissure but in the long run by
eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking at-least 3 lts of water in a
day and exercise.
Local
anesthetic cream applied 20 mins before passing the motion will help in
relieving the pain. Second cream helps to relax the muscle which helps
in the healing of the fissure. With this treatment usually 50-60% of
fissures heal.
Next
step should be injection of BOTOX into sphincters if patients are
affordable. This will increase the chances of healing upto 75-80%. This is more
so recommended in females as they have weak and small sphincters compared to
men and more over they can also be damaged at the time of vaginal delivery.
BOTOX injection causes only temporary relaxation of muscles (upto 6 months) so
that fissure can heal.
Other
wise in patients in whom fissure does not heal by conservative management
simple surgery is required. This will reduce the pain significantly within
24 hrs.
What
is Chronic anal fissure?
Any
anal fissure which has not healed even after 6 weeks is called chronic anal
fissure. Conservative measures are unlikely to work and one might need surgery
most of the times.
What
are complications of Anal fissure?
A
small skin tag (Sentinel skin tag) can develop in chronic fissures. Otherwise
some patients can experience itching.
Fissure will never lead to cancer
By
Dr. Maruthesh Gowda
MBBS , FRCS -
Laproscopic Surgery , M.R.C.S-General Surgery
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