Common symptoms
- Sharp, cutting or burning pain while passing stool, lasting minutes to hours afterwards
- A streak of bright red blood on the stool or toilet paper
- Fear of passing stool because of the pain, which worsens constipation
- A small skin tag at the anal edge in long-standing fissures
See a doctor promptly if
- Fissures that keep coming back, or are in an unusual position
- Fever, swelling or pus near the anus — this may be an abscess
- Bleeding with weight loss or a change in bowel habits
Treatment without surgery
Most new (acute) fissures heal within a few weeks once stools are soft and the muscle spasm settles.
- Softening stools with fibre, water and, if needed, a stool softener
- Warm sitz baths two to three times a day to relax the muscle
- Ointments prescribed after examination to ease spasm and help healing
- Avoiding straining and long sitting on the toilet
Treatment options
Which option suits you is decided after examination — sometimes the answer is no procedure at all.
Lateral internal sphincterotomyLIS
A small, controlled cut in the inner anal muscle relieves the spasm that stops a fissure from healing.
Suited toChronic fissures that have not healed with treatment
Kshar KarmaAyurveda
A classical Ayurvedic procedure using an alkaline preparation to clean the fissure bed and support healing.
Suited toSelected chronic fissures — decided after examination
Laser-assisted treatment
Laser may be used on the fissure and surrounding tissue in selected cases.
Suited toChosen case by case after examination
Recovery
After a procedure most people go home the same day or the next morning and return to desk work within a few days. Keeping stools soft in the first weeks matters more than anything else.
Insurance
Salalkar Hospital supports insurance reimbursement — you receive the bills, discharge summary and documents your insurer asks for. Many policies have a waiting period for conditions such as piles, fissure, fistula and hernia, so check your policy wording before planning surgery.
Questions
Will a fissure heal on its own?
Many new fissures do, with soft stools and sitz baths. A fissure that has lasted more than six to eight weeks (chronic) is less likely to heal without treatment.
Is a fissure the same as piles?
No. Piles are swollen blood vessels and often bleed without pain; a fissure is a tear and typically causes sharp pain. They can occur together, so an examination helps.
Does sphincterotomy affect control?
A small number of people notice minor, usually temporary, difficulty controlling wind. Dr. Salalkar discusses this, and alternatives, before any procedure.