Anal fissures are often associated with having hard, painful bowel movements. They’re thought to develop when muscles around your anus, called sphincter muscles, spasm and tense up. This reduces the blood supply to the area, which stops the tear from healing properly. Having further hard bowel movements can then make the fissure come back, or get worse. Anal fissures often go away by themselves with a few self-help measures such as increasing your fibre and fluid intake to soften your stools, and taking warm baths. Your doctor may also prescribe you an ointment or cream. See our Anal fissure topic for more information on these treatment options.Signs and symptoms of an anal fissure include :

• Pain, sometimes severe, during bowel movements
• Pain after bowel movements that can last up to several hours
• A small lump or skin tag on the skin near the anal fissure
• Bright red blood on the stool or toilet paper after a bowel movement
• A visible crack in the skin around the anus
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