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Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

Severe pain during a bowel movement followed by continuing pain is the classic symptom of an anal fissure. There may be a few drops of bright red blood in the toilet bowel or when wiping but significant bleeding does not occur.

The pain is significant enough to cause the anal sphincter muscles to go into spasm making the next bowel movement or sitting even more painful.

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