Why Chronic Anal Fissures Are Hard to Treat

Anal fissure is a tear in the anal canal caused by the overstress or trauma. It usually heals from four to six weeks and does not lead to greater complications.

An anal fissure can be considered chronic if it has not healed over four to six weeks. This is when the pain intensifies and becomes more apparent.

Natural Treatments for Anal Fissures

With proper care and attention, anal fissures can be easily treated at home.

Here are some of the most effective home remedies that you can do to help quicken healing of anal fissure:

• Fomentation

Fomentation is done to ease the pain in the affected areas. This only needs a piece of clean, soft cloth soaked in hot water. Apply it gently in the affected areas for about three times then do the same using cold water.

• Sitz Bath

This is done by sitting in a tub having few inches of warm water. Remain for about 15 minutes. This is an effective way to relieve tension in the fissure area. Wipe gently with a soft cloth afterwards.

• Petroleum Jelly

Petroleum jelly can both act as a pain reliever and a lubricant. It lubricates the anal canal to make it easier for stool to pass through.

• Aloe Vera

The soothing and anti-inflammatory properties of Aloe Vera are effective for treating anal fissures. This can be directly applied on the affected areas.

• Olive Oil

To use this, gently apply olive oil into the rectum. This will help soften stools and heal the fissure quicker.

Reason Why Chronic Anal Fissures are Hard to Treat

Many experts believe that chronic anal fissures are hard to treat because the sphincter around the anus has become very tensed, thus reducing the blood flow in the anus lining. This means that there is not enough blood being supplied to the fissure. Lack of oxygen is also one of the reasons chronic anal fissures are hard to treat. Insufficient oxygen will lead to lack of growth and repair to the fissure area.

Glyceryl trinitrate is a licensed medicine effective for treating chronic anal fissure. Glyceryl trinitrate ointment is applied directly to the fissure area twice a day. This relaxes the sphincter and stimulates blood flow to the anus lining, promoting the growth and repair of cells.

However, the use of this medicine brings with it an adverse side effect – mild to chronic headaches, depending on the receptivity of the patient. This is the reason some patients have stopped using this medicine.

If medications fail to at least ease the symptoms of anal fissure, this is the time to shift to surgical procedures.

The most common type of surgery used for anal fissure is the lateral internal sphincterotomy. This procedure is very effective, with 95 in 100 fissures healed. However, this procedure is sometimes not suitable for those with chronic diarrhea or women of childbearing age.

An alternative surgical treatment is fissurectomy. This is often advised by doctors when they think there is a chance that the patient might develop incontinence after sphincterotomy.

Fissurectomy is the removal of the damaged skin parts around the fissure. This is to allow the skin to heal on its own.