Painless Hemorrhoid Banding: Your Guide to Minimally Invasive, Long-Lasting Relief

Hemorrhoids — it’s a topic that most people don’t want to talk about, yet it’s something that one out of every 20 people experience. Hemorrhoids are enlarged veins around or in your anus.

When these veins become enlarged — often due to straining during bowel movements, constipation, lifting heavy items regularly, and prolonged sitting — they can make sitting uncomfortable. In addition to discomfort, you might also experience blood on the toilet paper and itchiness. 

While you can often manage small external hemorrhoids with over-the-counter treatments, sitz baths, and lifestyle changes (specifically to target constipation), it can be trickier to treat internal hemorrhoids on your own. 

That’s where hemorrhoid banding comes into play. Here in Trinity, Florida, our board-certified gastroenterology team at Bay Area Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, offers this painless procedure to give you lasting relief.

Here’s what you need to know about banding.

What is hemorrhoid banding?

Hemorrhoid banding, sometimes called rubber band ligation, is a technique that uses tiny medical-grade rubber bands to cut off the blood supply to the hemorrhoid. This process causes your hemorrhoid to shrink, wither, and eventually fall off within a few days.

How does banding work?

During this in-office procedure, your Bay Area Gastroenterology Associates, LLC, provider uses a small tool called a ligator to perform rubber band ligation. They insert the ligator, which looks like a small cylinder, through a scope (a tube with a light attached) into your anus.

They slide the ligator cylinder upward once the hemorrhoid is in sight, and rubber bands get released around the base of the hemorrhoid. The ligator gets removed, but the rubber bands remain in place. 

What to expect after banding

As they cut off blood supply to the hemorrhoid, it eventually shrinks and falls off. Both the withered hemorrhoid and the rubber bands pass painlessly through a bowel movement, which can happen within a few days or even up to a week. 

In addition to banding, you take proactive steps to reduce your risk of hemorrhoids in the future. These steps may include adding more fiber to your diet (to help with chronic constipation), avoiding straining while using the restroom, and exercising more often (to help with sedentary lifestyle-related hemorrhoids). 

Four benefits of hemorrhoid banding

If you have symptomatic internal hemorrhoids, you might consider hemorrhoid banding because: 

It is easy

It’s a simple procedure in the office, and no bowel preparation is required, making it easy to fit this procedure into your busy schedule.

It can treat internal hemorrhoids

Internal hemorrhoids are inside the anus and are hard to manage on your own. We can use banding on grade 1 and 2 internal hemorrhoids (and grade 3 in some cases). 

It is painless 

While hemorrhoids themselves can be painful, the solution doesn’t have to be. Hemorrhoid banding doesn’t hurt, and you don’t even need anesthesia. 

It is quick

The procedure is fast, typically taking only a few minutes, and allows you to resume your normal activities immediately. Most patients experience long-lasting relief, and it’s considered a highly effective treatment for internal hemorrhoids.

Get help for hemorrhoids 

If you’re dealing with hemorrhoids, our gastroenterology specialists can help you get the care you need, so if you have a stubborn hemorrhoid (or suspect that you do), call us today at 727-372-4500. You can also use our online portal to request an appointment.