The procedure is done together with colonoscopy under anesthetic. Colonoscopy is done to locate the hemorrhoids inside the rectum since they are high up your rectum and are not readily visible. A small instrument called a protoscope is used to insert a latex rubber band inside your rectum. The rubber band is then placed around the neck of the internal haemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply.

Pain here is bearable since the location of internal hemorrhoids is nowhere near pain-sensing nerves. This is also why an external hemorrhoid is not a candidate for rubber band ligation. It would be painful to do this to an external hemorrhoid because its location is near pain-sensing nerves.

You will also be asked by the surgeon whether the rubber bands feel too tight. If they are painful, a medicine may be injected into the banded hemorrhoid to numb them.

After manual strangulation of a hemorrhoid, it should shrink and fall off on its own within a few days. When the wound becomes dry, a scar will form in place. This scar is important for it will hold nearby veins and prevent them from bulging and forming into another hemorrhoid.

After 3 weeks, you’ll be re-assessed to determine how successful the procedure has been. Three weeks are allotted to give time for the manually strangulated hemorrhoid to shrink, fall off, bleed and the wound to dry off.

Bleeding may take about 10 days to stop. Because of this, it is not advisable to do the procedure if you are going to travel afterwards. Ample rest and proper cleaning is needed to avoid irritation and infection. Heavy lifting is avoided to avoid exacerbation and promote healing.

People respond differently to banding. Some are able to immediately resume to normal activities, except activities that involve lifting heavy objects, while others may take 2 to 3 days to recover.

The advantages of rubber band ligation over other treatment options are:

• no hospitalization is required
• minimal pain is felt
• shorter recovery period, therefore shorter time off from work.

It also has its disadvantages and limitations and they are:

• it may require more than one course of treatment to get rid of the hemorrhoid
• it is not applicable for treatment of external hemorrhoids
• success rate is only 60 to 80%

Rubber band ligation is the most common fixative procedure done to treat hemorrhoids. However, a variety of other surgical procedures may be an option. Each procedure has its own pros and cons to take into consideration. It is best to know all your options and study their details to be able to weigh and choose the best option for you.

There’s nothing more unnerving and distressing than having to endure all the signs and symptoms of hemorrhoids every single day. Worst, there’s no greater embarrassment than to have a hemorrhoid sticking out of your anus. It is definitely a physical and psychological torture!

Out of desperation, maybe you have considered to have a surgical procedure for their removal. Though it is a good option, the removal of hemorrhoids is usually the last resort to resolve the hemorrhoids.

Most hemorrhoids, usually the milder types, heal on their own. Moreover, some procedures that remove hemorrhoids, such as hemorrhoidectomy, are associated with significant pain. And for these reasons, conservative management is initially done to make the hemorrhoids go away. But if all else fails, hemorrhoid removal through surgical means could be the only feasible option for you. Before deciding on whether to have a hemorrhoid removal or not, it is important to know more about these so that you are able to make the possible preparations and readjustments in your lifestyle.

There are various ways on how to remove the hemorrhoid.

Hemorrhoid removal through the process of hemorrhoidectomy is usually indicated for individuals with internal hemorrhoids that bulge out from the anus during bowel movements and/or with hemorrhoids that seem to protrude out of the rectum at all times. Hemorrhoidectomy is also recommended to patients who have failed every nonoperative or conservative therapy that was prescribed and in those who display significant manifestations from external hemorrhoids, such as the formation of clots, or skin tags.

Chronic bleeding and anemia and painful external thrombosed hemorrhoids are also recommended for removal. The hemorrhoid is excised using a scalpel, a cautery or a laser. The latter uses an infrared beam to cauterize the tissues. Using a traditional scalpel, the removal of hemorrhoids is achieved by surgically excising the hemorrhoid tissue. The tissues are clamped, tied off and removed. A newer method called the stapled hemorrhoidectomy attempts to remove the hemorrhoid by excising a band of prolapsed anal tissue through the using of a stapling device. The band is pulled into the device, removing the excess tissue, as the remaining tissue is stapled back to its correct location.

Sclerotherapy is a technique that involves the injection of chemical irritants into the blood vessels surrounding the hemorrhoids to induce inflammation, formation of excess tissues and scarring. The entire technique results in the shrinkage and falling off the hemorrhoid.

Hemorrhoidolysis or Galvanic Electrotherapy causes the shrinkage of a hemorrhoid tissue by the application of a small probe of electrodes. The resulting electrolysis results in complete and shriveling and drying up of the hemorrhoids.

Rubber band ligation is the most commonly used technique used in the United States as it involves lesser pain and risks with a 60 to 80% success rate. This procedure removes the hemorrhoid by tying up a small elastic band around the internal hemorrhoid, cutting off its blood supply. The hemorrhoid dries up, shrinks and falls off a few days after the procedure, in about a week. Bleeding ensues after the hemorrhoid falls off but it spontaneously resolves by itself. Only one or two hemorrhoids are removed at a time but the banding can be redone after 4 to 6 weeks.