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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffSeveral lifestyle changes may help relieve discomfort and promote healing of an anal fissure, as well as prevent recurrences:
- Add fiber to your diet. Getting enough fiber in your diet — about 25 to 30 grams a day — improves fissure healing and helps keep stools soft. You can increase your fiber intake by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Bulk-forming laxatives, such as psyllium (Metamucil, others), soften stools and allow them to pass more easily. Adding fiber through either diet or supplementation may cause gas and bloating, so increase your fiber intake gradually.
- Drink adequate fluids. Fluids also help prevent constipation, so it's important to get enough. If you're rarely thirsty and your urine looks colorless or only very light yellow, you're probably drinking enough.
- Exercise regularly. Engage in 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity, such as walking, most days of the week. Exercise promotes regular bowel movements and increases blood flow to all parts of your body, which may promote healing of an anal fissure.
- Avoid straining during bowel movements. Straining creates pressure, which can open a healing tear or cause a new tear.
References
- Gearhart SL. Diverticular disease and common anorectal disorders. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2881328. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Lacy BE, et al. Common anorectal disorders: Diagnosis and treatment. Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2009;11:413.
- Herzig D. Anal fissure. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2010;90:33.
- Greenwald DA. Common disorders of the anus and rectum: Hemorrhoids and fissures. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/gihealth/hemorrhoids.asp. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Yamada T, et al. Anorectal diseases. In: Yamada T, et al. Textbook of Gastroenterology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2003. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/sp-2.3.1b/ovidweb.cgi. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Breen E, et al. Anal fissures. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Anal fissure. American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons. http://www.fascrs.org/patients/conditions/anal_fissure. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Anal fissure. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec02/ch020/ch020.html. Accessed July 28, 2010.
- Gil J, et al. Screening for the effectiveness of conservative treatment in chronic anal fissure patients using anorectal manometry. International Journal of Colorectal Disease. 2010;25:649.
- Klein MD, et al. Surgical conditions of the anus, rectum, and colon. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/212152969-3/1032016749/1608/827.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50343-1--cesec13_6840. Accessed July 28, 2010.
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