Why It Is Essential to Get Anal Fissure Completely Cured at Early Stage

Anal fissure is a painful tear in mucosa lining at anal verge. I may be caused by passage of hard stool or sometimes acute diarrhoea. Often self limited and symptoms subsides spontaneously in a couple of days but the symptoms may persists for long time making it a persistant embarrassment for the patient.

What are the Types of Fissure

Anal fissures are of two types depending on the persistance of symptoms. If the symptoms are less than three weeks old, then they are called acute anal fissure; and if they are more than three weeks old, they are termed as chronic anal fissure.

Acute anal fissures can easily be cured with conservative treatment while chronic anal fissure requires surgical intervention for complete cure.

Why Chronic Anal Fissure Needs Surgery to Get it Completely Cured

Chronic anal fissure is often associated with presence of sentinel tag (a skin tag, but not piles) at the base which is visible from outside. Patient can also feel this tag and becomes worried. But the truth is this skin tag is not the disease, it is simply a protective structure preventing the wound from external trauma. In chronic anal fissure, the margins of the wound get fibrosed and prevents them to heal naturally. Remaining constantly in contact with the stool and infected materials, it often get infected and an abscess may form, which is known as retrofissure abscess.

To prevent these complications Chronic anal fissure should always be treated surgically and cured.

Complications of Chronic Anal Fissure

Two main complications are seen in chronic anal fissure

1. Infection: It causes the sentinel tag to be inflammed. The swollen skin tag becomes very painful.

2. Abscess Formation: It is termed as retro-fissure abscess. They often form a subcutaneous or intersphincteric fistula.

Fibrosis and stricture are rare complicaitons of chronic anal fissure.

Get It cured at the Early Stage

Acute anal fissure can be cured very easily with diet, activities and some conservative management

A highfiber diet with plenty of oral fluid (preferably lukewarm) and seasonal fruits are good choices. A combination of soluble and insoluble fibre will have additional benefits. As an Ayurvedic surgeon I always advise my patients to go for Prakriti Nirupam and get a dietary advise. Prakriti specific diet and activies will obviously maintain the well-being of GI tract and cause less incidences of anal fissure and other anorectal conditions.

Diet alone is not enough. You should also do regular exercise like gentlr walking and freehands, manage your stress to have a good digestion of food you consume, you should never do straining for passing stool and postpone the urge of defecation. Avoiding long sitting and driving can also prevent fissure formation.

Together, these habits support your G I System and speed up recovery. In very rare situation, acute fissure demands a surgical intervention. Once it is cured, all you need to do is maintaining your well being with disciplened life.

Eye-level view of a glass of water and a bowl of mixed nuts on a wooden table

Supporting Your Recovery with Patience and Care

Healing an anal fissure is a natural process, all you need to do is avoid the causative factors. The GI disturbances, constipation, diarrhoea are to be avoided.

A little bit of dietary regulations and healthy life-style can reverse the problems of acute fissure. It is always better to avoid surgery, if possible.

The Chronic anal fissure never heals spontaneously even after diet and lifestyle modifications. Symptoms may subside for some days only to reoccur for next times. Surgical correction of chronic anal fissure is the only choice.