Young girl doing painful anal

An anal fissure is a tear in the lining of the lower rectum anus. It can itch and cause pain. There may be bright red blood on the toilet paper after your child wipes. A fissure may form if your child is constipated and tries to pass a large, hard stool. It may also form if your child doesn't relax the anal muscles during a bowel movement. Most anal fissures heal with home treatment after a few days or weeks.

Anal fissures are tiny tears in the skin around the anus and can be painful. They usually develop as a side effect of constipation. Constipation is the condition where a person passes faeces poo less frequently than usual and the poo is harder, drier and painful to pass. They usually develop when a child is constipated. The sphincter ring of muscle around the anus stretches to let the hard dry poo pass, and the tissue around the anus may tear as a result. Anal fissures are usually small but can be painful, as the tissue around the anus is supplied with lots of nerve endings.

Pinworms are parasites that live in the intestines. The infection is spread by ingesting microscopic pinworm eggs. Young children often put their hands in their mouths and may not practice good hand hygiene before eating.

Pain in the opening to the rectum anus can be caused by diarrhea or constipation. Scratching a rectal itch can also cause pain. Another common cause is a tear in the lining of the lower rectum. This is called an anal fissure. This type of anal pain often goes away when the problem clears up.