Hemorrhoid Banding: What to Expect

Three-quarters of people get them at some point in life, but many don’t know what to do about their hemorrhoids. Most people can get by without professional care, but some hemorrhoids are simply too large or prone to bleeding to ignore or manage at home. 

Typical hemorrhoid symptoms include:

• Itching when prolapsing hemorrhoids deposit mucus on the skin.
• Bleeding when tissue gets damaged and starts to bleed.
• Swelling when internal hemorrhoids cause external tissue to swell.
• Soiling when prolapsing tissue interferes with anal closure
• Prolapse when tissue protrudes from the anus during defecation.

Hemorrhoids that are left untreated or treated conservatively with ointments and creams have the potential to become more advanced. This may result in more frequent symptoms and increase the likelihood that more aggressive treatment, like surgery, will be needed.

Northern Medical Group Gastroenterology Division in Fishkill, Poughkeepsie, and Highland, New York, provides effective treatments, like hemorrhoid banding and infrared coagulation, for hemorrhoids that have grown beyond the point of being manageable at home. 

Our specialists examine your hemorrhoids and recommend an appropriate treatment based on their severity. One of those options, hemorrhoid banding, takes only a minute and causes hemorrhoids to fall off within a couple of days. 

Here’s what you can expect from the hemorrhoid banding procedure:

We use a proprietary system that is a significant improvement over previous methods and combined with our expertise, allows us to treat hemorrhoid patients safely, painlessly and effectively in our office, without surgery. The procedure takes less than 60 seconds and most of our patients go back to work the same or next day.

Banding works by placing a small rubber band in an area with no nerve endings, making the procedure painless. The band will typically fall off after 2-3 days, most likely without you noticing it. This results in the loose tissue scarring back into place, eliminating the tissue prolapse and accompanying symptoms.

After the in-office banding treatment the patient may notice a feeling of fullness in the rectal area, or of having to move their bowels. This typically improves within a few hours and normally does not require any medication. Following the procedure, patients avoid strenuous activities for the rest of the day, and resume full activity the next day. For the few days after each treatment, we recommend not staying seated for more than 2-3 hours at a time.

Ready to learn more?

If your hemorrhoids are troublesome and causing consistent pain and bleeding, it’s time to consider professional care at Northern Medical Group Gastroenterology Division. Schedule your appointment over the phone or online with us today.