Male Pelvic Floor Therapy: What to Expect

When most people hear about pelvic floor therapy, they typically think it’s just for women recovering from birth or dealing with urinary leakage. But the pelvic floor isn't exclusive to women. Men have a pelvic floor as well, and it can cause the same type of troubles, resulting in bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction.

If your doctors have mentioned pelvic floor therapy, or you've been dealing with unexplained pelvic pain, urinary issues, or erectile dysfunction, and you're wondering if this could help, here's what our process actually looks like and what you can expect!

What the male pelvic floor does

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretches like a hammock from the pubic bone to the tailbone. Its purpose is to support the pelvic organs, such as the bladder and bowel, and in men, these muscles play a direct role in:

• Bladder control and urine flow

• Bowel function and continence

• Erectile function and ejaculation

• Core and hip stability

• Support after prostate surgery

When these muscles are functioning properly, you won't notice any problems. But when they are not functioning properly (for example, when they are too tight, too weak, or not coordinating), the result can be urinary urgency, pain, constipation, or sexual dysfunction. These are symptoms we commonly see in our clinic, but unfortunately many men never give pelvic floor therapy a try. We want to give you confidence and hope that this could be the right treatment for you!

What do you actually do in pelvic floor therapy?

It is normal to feel a bit nervous or apprehensive coming to your first appointment, but we want to clear the air and help you feel more confident about what to expect. Your therapist will start with a detailed review of your health history and current symptoms with you. They will ask you about when your symptoms started, what makes them better or worse, and how they affect your daily life. This includes:

• Bathroom habits

• Sexual function

• Exercise

• Work

• Sleep

• Stress

Next, you can expect your therapist to do an external assessment, looking at your posture, hip mobility, core strength, and how you move. The pelvic floor does not work in isolation from the rest of the body, and oftentimes we need to identify the symptom drivers outside of the pelvic floor.

If it's deemed clinically appropriate by your therapist, they will offer an internal pelvic floor exam with your consent. This is done with a single gloved finger applying gentle intra-rectal pressure to assess for muscle tone, tightness, weakness, and coordination. This process is explained to you in advance, and you have the option to say yes or no at any point during your treatment sessions with us. Although the internal assessment gives us the final piece of information we need to form a personalized plan, our male patients can also see improvement without needing this part of the treatment.

What treatment is like

Male pelvic floor therapy is much more than Kegels. In fact, for many men, the muscles are too tight more often than too weak, so strengthening exercises alone can make things worse unless you know what you're specifically dealing with. In our clinic, our therapists typically integrate:

• Manual therapy to release tight or overactive muscles

• Breathing and relaxation techniques to reduce muscle tension and guarding

• Sensory awareness training to identify proper coordination of this muscle group

• Posture and movement correction

• Visceral mobilizations

• Dry needling

• Home exercise programs to reinforce progress between visits

How Long Does It Take?

All of our sessions are 60 minutes, one-on-one with a pelvic floor specialist. Pelvic floor symptoms are complex, and you need a therapist with experience treating your condition. Since everyone's symptoms and history are unique, it is difficult to say how many sessions you might need in a general sense. However, many of our male patients who come in for issues listed earlier in this blog tend to see improvements within several sessions, and average 8-10 visits in total. 

You’re in Control

At Peak Pelvic Health, our therapists are highly trained in managing male pelvic floor conditions. A skilled therapist will explain each step of the treatment process, ask for consent before any internal work, and adjust the pace of treatment to what feels right for you. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, pelvic floor dysfunction in men is common, and it's highly treatable.

If you’re ready to take the next step in healing your pelvic floor, don’t hesitate to reach out! You can fill out this form https://www.peakpelvichealthco.com/contact or give us a call at 719-362-0330