Did You Know That Men Have A Pelvic Floor Too?

We want to take some time to discuss an under-discussed yet common concern: Male pelvic health! Pelvic health in men is not often talked about but is an essential part of physical health when it comes to preventing incontinence of the bladder, organ prolapse, pelvic pain, back pain, and sexual health. Although 10% of men suffer from some kind of pelvic floor dysfunction in their lifetime, few will seek treatment. Chronic pelvic health concerns in men can severely impact quality of life and mental health. The sooner help can be accessed, and a root cause identified, the sooner one can start to feel better.

So what is the pelvic floor? We all have a pelvic floor, which is a group of muscles that sits like a hammock under and within the pelvis. It has a crucial role in supporting your bladder, bowels, and sexual function. Problems can occur when these muscles are over-stretched, weakened, or too tight.

Let’s look at the pelvic floor's role in arousal. When you’re aroused, your brain sends messages to the genitals to send blood in and prevent it from leaving the penis, causing an erection. When the inflow of blood decreases and the veins open, the erection stops. Your pelvic floor muscles help manage blood flow to your genitals by compressing the penile veins and trapping the blood in the genitals to create and maintain an erection. There are 2 main ways pelvic floor muscle problems can mess up this system and inhibit arousal. If the pelvic floor is weak, the outflow of blood isn’t prevented, and an erection can’t be maintained. A pelvic floor that’s too tight — also called a hypertonic or overactive pelvic floor — has been suggested as a possible cause of erectile issues due to compression of the artery that provides blood to the penis.

There is hope! Exercises can be done to improve the strength, tone, and coordination of these muscles (And just like you can release a tight quadricep muscle, you can release a tight pelvic floor muscle. It’s important to know how to find and activate your pelvic floor muscles in order to exercise them or relax them, which can be difficult and takes some practice.

Before you start doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, here are some tips to ensure that you get the maximum benefit: Do not clench your buttocks when you are doing these exercises. Keep your legs relaxed. Keep breathing. Squeeze and lift rather than tightly clenching.

Common conditions treated by a pelvic floor physical therapist include: - Chronic prostatitis - Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder - IBS - Sexual dysfunction - Coccydynia/Tailbone pain - Urinary incontinence - Penile/perineal/anal pain - Pelvic pain Did you know that 80% of men experience pain and incontinence post-prostatectomy and would benefit from pelvic floor rehabilitation?

Here at Arancia PT, we see women AND men for various pelvic floor issues. If you or your partner are currently suffering with one of these conditions and are in search of help, you can give our office a call (401) 602-7006, we’d love to hear your story!