Painful Bowel Movements: Is an Anal Fissure to Blame?
Anal fissures are a top cause of rectal pain during and after a bowel movement, but they’re not the only cause. Learn how to identify an anal fissure and what to do if you have one here.
Shrink Hemorrhoids with Infrared Light
Sometimes called varicose veins of the anus, hemorrhoids are common, but many people suffer for too long before they seek treatment. Though home remedies can help shrink hemorrhoids, not everyone responds positively to at-home care.
If your hemorrhoids aren’t improving or are causing anal pain that makes sitting almost impossible, Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center’s board-certified family physician, Dr. Betsy Clemens, can help.
Dr. Clemens specializes in the treatment of hemorrhoids, and offers in-office infrared coagulation (IRC) treatment for the management of those hemorrhoids that just won't go away.
Internal versus external hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are enlarged, bulging blood vessels that develop in or around the anus or lower rectum. Internal and external hemorrhoids are determined by the location of the bulging blood vessel.
Internal hemorrhoids
Internal hemorrhoids occur in the lining of your anus or lower rectum. With internal hemorrhoids, you may notice blood in your stool after a bowel movement, but no pain.
Internal hemorrhoids may protrude during a bowel movement, but though they may retract, they may also prolapse, which means they can’t be pushed back in place. A prolapsed internal hemorrhoid may cause severe pain.
External hemorrhoids
External hemorrhoids form near the anus, under the sensitive skin. These types of hemorrhoids may cause anal itchiness and sometimes pain.
We treat all types of hemorrhoids and their related complications. However, our IRC treatment works best on small-to-medium-sized internal hemorrhoids.
Infrared light to shrink hemorrhoids
IRC is a non-surgical outpatient procedure for hemorrhoid treatment. It uses an intense beam of infrared energy that disrupts the flow of blood to the hemorrhoid, causing the bulging vein to shrink and disappear over time.
Our IRC treatment takes only a few minutes and requires no special preparation, anesthesia, or downtime. You may feel some pain and heat during your treatment, but discomfort is minimal.
With IRC, we only treat one hemorrhoid at a time. If you have more than one hemorrhoid, we can repeat the procedure to remove the other hemorrhoids after 7-10 days.
After your infrared light treatment
Though there’s no need for any downtime following your IRC, you may experience anal bleeding and pain afterward. We recommend sitz baths and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to alleviate your post-treatment discomfort.
We also recommend you add a high-fiber stool softener and drink plenty of water to ease pain during bowel movements.
Our infrared light treatment can shrink your hemorrhoids, but it can’t prevent new hemorrhoids from forming. We recommend lifestyle changes, such as eating a high-fiber diet, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular exercise to prevent a recurrence.
There’s no need to suffer with your hemorrhoids. We offer many innovative treatments to alleviate your discomfort and improve your health. Contact our office by calling 636-228-3186, or by scheduling an appointment online today.
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