The arteries and veins around the anus are named the hemorrhoidal arteries and veins. They can swell and enlarge because of increased pressure. Causes of increased pressure are constipation, pregnancy, obesity, regular heavy lifting, chronic diarrhea or eating a low fiber diet. And large swollen hemorrhoids on the outside of the anus are called external hemorrhoids and enlarged hemorrhoids inside the anus are called internal hemorrhoids.
The most common symptoms are painless bleeding, burning and itching. Hemorrhoidal pain comes with a thrombosed hemorrhoid which is a hemorrhoid that bleeds
beneath the skin forming a painful knot just outside the opening of the anus. Unless hemorrhoids are symptomatic they do not have to be treated. For mild bleeding, regulation of the diet by increasing the amount of fiber and water consumed daily, can eliminate this symptom. Mixed hemorrhoids, internal and external, are best treated by hemorrhoidectomy. In this procedure the enlarged hemorrhoids are excised by making an elliptical incision around them and dissecting the underlying blood vessels away from the surrounding muscle. Thrombosed hemorrhoids can be treated in the office under local anesthesia.
Although hemorrhoids are the most common cause of rectal bleeding other causes such as cancer, polyps and inflammatory bowel disease need to be considered. In order to eliminate these possibilities a colonoscopy, which is a flexible telescope to view the inside of the colon and rectum, is performed.
If you suffer from painful hemorrhoids, or other internal soreness please give Dr. Robert Ripley a call today and learn more about how he can help alleviate your pain. Call 928-668-5506 and schedule your evaluation now.
