Hemorrhoids are incredibly common, and most people will experience them at some point in their lives. They're caused when the blood vessels around your anus become inflamed and sore. Hemorrhoids are most common in people who are overweight and in pregnant women, but anyone can develop them.

While hemorrhoids sometimes cause no symptoms at all, most people realize they have them when they have rectal bleeding and experience pain when they're sitting down — the pain often becomes worse when sitting down for long periods of time. If you think that you may have hemorrhoids, read on to find out more about what causes them and how you can have them removed.

What Causes Hemorrhoids to Form?

Hemorrhoids are caused when the blood vessels in your anus or in your rectum become damaged and inflamed. This is typically caused when they're subjected to high amounts of pressure. When the blood vessels become inflamed, they bulge and begin to protrude through surrounding tissues.

If the blood vessel is between the tissue of your anus and your skin, it's referred to as an external hemorrhoid. If it's between your anal tissue and your rectum, it's an internal hemorrhoid. Both types of hemorrhoids can cause pain and bleeding.

Whenever you sit down, you increase the pressure in the blood vessels inside your anus and your rectum. When you're straining to make a bowel movement, this pressure becomes even greater. Spending a large amount of time on the toilet (whether you're constipated or simply reading a book) can lead to the development of hemorrhoids.

Do You Need to Have Hemorrhoids Removed?

Hemorrhoids typically don't lead to health complications, but they can sometimes become extremely painful. If a clot forms within the hemorrhoid, the pain can become severe enough to prevent you from sitting down at all. In rare cases, hemorrhoids can lead to anemia — if you're losing a significant amount of blood from your hemorrhoids every time you go to the bathroom, this constant blood loss can lead to an iron deficiency.

If your hemorrhoids are causing significant amounts of pain and are preventing you from sitting down for long periods of time, however, you should seek treatment — hemorrhoid treatment is typically quick and simple, so it's worth it to undergo treatment in order to alleviate the pain.

How Are Hemorrhoids Treated?

In most cases, hemorrhoids can be treated non-surgically by removing the factors that are causing them. You can start by adding more fiber to your diet by eating vegetables and whole grains. Additionally, you can take fiber supplements and stool softeners if you still have problems with chronic constipation.

Limit the amount of time you spend sitting on the toilet in order to reduce the pressure that's exerted on the blood vessels that cause hemorrhoids. When you decrease the strain placed on your blood vessels, hemorrhoids often heal on their own.

Sometimes you may need to take more drastic measures to eliminate hemorrhoids. Your physician can tie a rubber band around your hemorrhoids in order to cut off their blood supply. While this procedure is slightly uncomfortable, it often results in the hemorrhoids falling off after their blood supply is gone.

If rubber band litigation doesn't work or if hemorrhoids frequently come back, you may need to undergo a hemorrhoidectomy. This is a colorectal surgery in which you're placed under anesthesia. A surgeon removes your hemorrhoids using a scalpel or a laser and then applies a suture to your blood vessels in order to prevent bleeding. The suture will eventually be absorbed by your body.

A hemorrhoidectomy is the most effective way to remove painful hemorrhoids, and it's also often used when you have multiple hemorrhoids that need to be removed — all of them can be easily taken out during a single surgery. The risk of complications from a hemorrhoidectomy is very low, and the recovery time is quick — it's typically done as an outpatient surgery, which means that you return home after your surgery is performed.

If you suffer from painful hemorrhoids, talk to your primary care physician. He or she can perform a rectal examination to determine the size and severity of your hemorrhoids and can begin treating them by tying a rubber band around them to deprive them of circulation. If treatment attempts are unsuccessful, your physician can recommend a colorectal surgery center in your area where you can have a hemorrhoidectomy performed — you'll be able to eliminate your painful hemorrhoids quickly with little chance of them returning.

To learn more about colorectal surgery, contact a company in your area like Surgery Group SC.