Hemorrhoids are a common condition, and while they aren’t life-threatening, they can be profoundly uncomfortable. If you’re looking for help with painful hemorrhoids, the highly experienced doctors at Flagstaff Surgical Associates in Flagstaff, Arizona, can help. They provide a range of effective treatments for hemorrhoids using the least invasive, most up-to-date medical and surgical techniques. Call Flagstaff Surgical Associates today to find out more or make an appointment online.

What are hemorrhoids?

Hemorrhoids, or piles, are swollen, irritated blood vessels in your rectum or anus. External hemorrhoids bulge out of your anus, while internal hemorrhoids remain inside your body.

Hemorrhoids can be extremely uncomfortable and often cause painful bowel movements and rectal bleeding.

The most common causes of hemorrhoids are:

  • Straining on the toilet
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Chronic constipation
  • Obesity
  • Pregnancy
  • Low-fiber diet
  • Unhealthy, inactive lifestyle

Spending too long sat on the toilet can also encourage the formation of hemorrhoids.

How are hemorrhoids treated?

Your body can heal hemorrhoids so if you have any symptoms, changing your lifestyle could help considerably. Losing weight, being more active, and eating a healthier diet can all help prevent new hemorrhoids from forming as well.

If your hemorrhoids aren’t improving with self-care measures, there are medical interventions that can treat hemorrhoids successfully, such as sclerotherapy and infrared coagulation (IRC).

These interventions work by damaging or blocking up the affected vein, so your blood has to take a different route. The treated vein then shrivels and dies. In some cases, hemorrhoids might require surgery.

What surgical treatments are there for hemorrhoids?

Flagstaff Surgical Associates provides several surgical options for treating hemorrhoids, using minimally invasive techniques whenever possible.

Hemorrhoidectomy

Hemorrhoidectomy is the traditional approach to surgical treatment of hemorrhoids. If you have a hemorrhoidectomy, your surgeon cuts out any internal and external hemorrhoids completely.

Hemorrhoidectomy is one option to consider when you’ve tried conservative treatments without success. It’s also useful for patients who have both internal and external hemorrhoids that are causing severe symptoms. After a hemorrhoidectomy, you need to take a week or two to rest and recuperate.

Transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization (THD)

THD is an outpatient surgery for hemorrhoids that’s less painful and invasive than traditional hemorrhoid surgery. Your surgeon at Flagstaff Surgical Associates uses Doppler imaging, which is a specialized form of ultrasound, to view the blood vessels connecting to the hemorrhoids. They can then tie off the blood vessels to starve the hemorrhoid.

At the same time, your surgeon can carry out a mucopexy to remove excess hemorrhoidal tissue and repair the remainder.

Procedure for prolapsing hemorrhoids (PPH) or stapled hemorrhoidopexy

PPH involves your surgeon using a surgical stapler to remove a circular sleeve of tissue that’s causing the hemorrhoid problem. They can then uplift the remaining tissue back into your anal canal.

To find out more about the successful treatment of hemorrhoids, call Flagstaff Surgical Associates today and schedule a consultation or book an appointment online.