
What is an anal fissure?
What causes an anal fissure?
What are the symptoms of an anal fissure?
Symptoms usually happen during or right after passing stool and can include:
The pain can last from several minutes to several hours and happens again when you pass more stool.
Anal fissures that cause symptoms for less than 6 weeks are called acute. Those that cause symptoms for longer are called chronic.
How can doctors tell if I have an anal fissure?
Doctors can usually tell you have a fissure just by looking at your anus.
Sometimes, they will need to do an exam of the rectum with a gloved finger or an anoscope (a short tube doctors use to look in the anus). If there's bleeding, doctors look at the lower bowel with a longer scope to see if there's another cause for the bleeding.