Men

Men’s Health is a specific area of physiotherapy focusing on the treatment and management of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Men’s Health Issues

Urinary incontinence occurs in up to 39% of men and increases with age. Prostate removal increases this risk to nearly 60%.

Men’s Health is a specific area of physiotherapy focusing on the treatment and management of pelvic floor dysfunction. Suzanne’s postgraduate training has allowed her to become a specialist in this unique area and at Anatomy Physiotherapy an individualised assessment and treatment approach is adopted for these male conditions.

 

Men’s health issues can appear at any age – from the young sporting type to the older man. Urinary incontinence occurs in up to 39% of men and increases with age. Prostate removal increases this risk to nearly 60%. However, physiotherapy management prior to surgery has been shown to reduce or eliminate urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction post prostatectomy surgery.

 

Neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis can also impact on the functioning of the bladder leading to symptoms such as urinary urgency and difficulty emptying. Constipation or incontinence from the bowels are common symptoms that men can experience and male pelvic pain or Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) is a condition that affects up to 16% of the male population.

Key Conditions

Some of the key conditions Suzanne treats are:

  • Prostatitis
  • Pre and post-prostatectomy surgery
  • Post-colorectal cancer
  • Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
  • Bowel dysfunction, constipation and/or incontinence
  • Bladder dysfunction and/or incontinence
  • OAB/urinary frequency and/or urgency
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Pelvic floor dysfunction
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Pelvic floor dysfunction can cause a number of symptoms:

  • Hip and Groin Pain
  • Abdominal Pain
  • Low Back Pain
  • Pelvic Pain- pain in the penis/testes/rectal area
  • Bladder control problems-urgency, frequency, post-void dribbling, urinary leakage
  • Bowel control problems – diarrhoea, constipation, faecal incontinence
  • Erectile dysfunction: ejaculatory dysfunction/ post ejaculatory pain
  • Numbness/tingling/pins and needles in the penis/testes/rectal area

WHAT CAN MEN’S HEALTH PHYSIOTHERAPY DO?

Pelvic floor muscles can weaken, just like any other muscle in the body.

The main treatment for the conditions outlined above is to either strengthen or relax the pelvic floor muscles and incorporate this into a general exercise/wellness program. Like any other muscle in the body the pelvic floor muscles can get weak or tight and treatment must respond to this at a level that is appropriate for each individual patient. Exercise programs that address the different muscles in the pelvic floor have shown great success.

Treatment

In addition to pelvic floor strength or release training, the following treatments may be employed:

  • Bladder Retraining
  • Manual Therapy/Trigger Point Release
  • Postural Correction
  • Core Stability Training
  • Relaxation Techniques
  • Strengthening/Stabilising Exercises