About 10 million people — just under 5% of the US population — report experiencing symptomatic hemorrhoids every year. While not a dangerous condition in health terms, hemorrhoids can be irritating, uncomfortable, or extremely painful.
While mild cases sometimes respond to home care and over-the-counter products, moderate and severe cases need medical attention. Proctology specialist Dr. Lisa A. Perryman of Colorado Colon & Rectal Specialists in Parker, Colorado, is your go-to hemorrhoid expert in the Denver metropolitan area.
Dr. Perryman recommends hemorrhoid banding, also called rubber band ligation, particularly for persistent grade 2 and grade 3 hemorrhoids, internal versions that bulge outward, either retracting themselves or requiring a push back in.
Let’s take a closer look at the banding technique and why it works so well on these grades of hemorrhoid tissue.
Hemorrhoids come in external and internal varieties, reflecting their position outside or inside the anus. External hemorrhoids have the greatest risk of causing pain, particularly when a blood clot forms inside (thrombosis).
Internal hemorrhoids originate above the dentate line, which separates the internal and external parts of the anal area. This area contains minimal sensory nerve tissue, meaning that these hemorrhoids' potential to generate pain is a fraction of that of their external counterparts.
The most common symptom of an internal hemorrhoid is bright red bleeding that isn’t accompanied by pain. You’ll usually notice this after a bowel movement.
Internal hemorrhoids may become prolapsed, protruding from the anus. Grade 2 internal hemorrhoids protrude but retract themselves. Grade 3 versions need manual reduction. Grade 1 internal hemorrhoids don’t prolapse, although they can cause bleeding.
Other internal hemorrhoid symptoms include itchiness, discomfort, pain, mucus discharge, or a feeling of an incomplete bowel movement. Pain is more common with grade 3 hemorrhoids.
A quick in-office procedure for internal hemorrhoids, rubber band ligation is a remarkably simple process. A small tool places tiny rubber bands around the base of the internal hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply and causing it to fall off, usually within a week of treatment. It is painless and patients typically do not realize they’ve passed the bands or hemorrhoids.
Hemorrhoid banding is most suitable for all grades 2 and 3 internal hemorrhoids. The procedure requires no incisions, anesthetic, or sedation, taking only a few minutes to complete.
After your appointment, you can return to your regular day. Complications from the procedure are rare.
The procedure is well tolerated by most patients. If you have any discomfort or pain, it’s usually easy to control with over-the-counter pain medications.
When home care for hemorrhoids fails, banding typically handles almost all internal hemorrhoids.
Contact Colorado Colon & Rectal Specialists to learn more about this effective approach for treating internal hemorrhoids. Call or message us today to book your appointment.
