Thrombosed Hemorrhoids: Will Surgery Help?

Hemorrhoids are a common health problem that affect a very sensitive area of the body — the anus and rectum. This may be why so many people wait a long time before they seek any medical help for their hemorrhoids.

But if you have a thrombosed hemorrhoid, you may not have much of a choice. These types of hemorrhoids cause severe pain and discomfort and can make sitting impossible. 

At Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center in Creve Coeur, Missouri, our board-certified family medicine physician, Dr. Betsy Clemens, is an expert at treating all types of hemorrhoids, including thrombosed hemorrhoids. 

We can perform surgery to help ease the discomfort from thrombosed hemorrhoids, but it’s not always necessary. 

About thrombosed hemorrhoids

External hemorrhoids are swollen veins that affect the sensitive anal tissue. Most of the time, external hemorrhoids cause little discomfort other than anal itchiness. 

Thrombosed hemorrhoids are external hemorrhoids that contain a blood clot. Though it’s not always clear what causes blood clot formation, it may occur from prolonged sitting or chronic constipation. Anyone with external hemorrhoids may develop a thrombosed hemorrhoid, but the painful condition is common in women during pregnancy.

Symptoms of thrombosed hemorrhoids

Symptoms of a thrombosed hemorrhoid vary depending on the size of the blood clot. In some people, these types of hemorrhoids may cause some anal pain and discomfort.

However, if you have a large thrombosis, you may have severe anal pain. Thrombosed hemorrhoids tend to occur unexpectedly, causing pain that gradually worsens over the following 48 hours.

You may also feel the hard lump of the blood clot when you sit down, which may exacerbate your pain. Though the pain may improve over time, if your thrombosed hemorrhoid is making it hard to manage your day-to-day routine, don’t wait any longer to get help. 

Treatment options for thrombosed hemorrhoids

Surgery will most certainly ease the suffering from your thrombosed hemorrhoids. For the simple in-office procedure, we make a small incision at the site of the blood clot and release the trapped blood.

The procedure — known as a thrombectomy — takes a few minutes and requires no anesthesia. However, we only perform a thrombectomy within the first three days after a thrombosed hemorrhoid appears.

And not all thrombosed hemorrhoids need surgery. If you waited more than three days to come in and see us, we may suggest a stool softener, fiber, and fluids to prevent constipation, and anti-inflammatory medication to ease pain.

A thrombosed hemorrhoid may resolve on its own within a week or two. In severe situations, we may refer you to a colon and rectal surgeon for an evaluation. 

Surgery will help a thrombosed hemorrhoid, but it isn’t always the right choice. The best thing you can do for your thrombosed hemorrhoid, or any of your hemorrhoids, is to schedule an appointment with our expert. Call our office ― 636-228-3136 ― to make an appointment today.