What Truckers Need to Know About Anal Fissures

Anal fissures, the tears that develop in your anus or anal canal due to various types of trauma, are painful and potentially challenging to treat. If treatment is not aggressive and completely successful then the fissures can easily recur. This is particularly undesirable since the condition is so painful.

Treatment at Home

There are several basic anal fissure treatments that you can actually attempt at home. The idea is to prevent the muscles in the anus from spasming in order to give the tissue time to rest and heal without being continually irritated. It is thought that this cyclic spasming is the main factor preventing the fissures from healing themselves normally. You can start the process by monitoring your diet in order to add bulk and soften your stool so as to not strain the body. You can do this by taking psyllium or methylcellulose preparations and eating a high fiber diet. You may also take stool softeners and increase your liquid intake. Finally, a sitz bath can help to relax the area—particularly immediately after a bowel movement.

Medical Options

If these more general methods fail to solve the problem then there are medical treatments that your doctor can administer as well. These include:

• Nitroglycerin
• Steroids
• Anesthetics
• Calcium Channel Blockers
• Botox

Any of these treatments can be effective in treating the problem. If the fissure is acute, the likelihood of successful treatment is high, eighty to ninety percent in fact. If the fissure problem is chronic, however, the chances of a successful treatment go down to forty percent. In these cases, the fissures will likely be recurrent and treatments may need to be altered to treat new occurrences.

Surgery

The final treatment available for anal fissures is, of course, surgery. This is often the treatment of last resort when it comes to anal fissures as surgery is a serious and potentially dangerous option. Still, in most cases, it is a completely effective choice.