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Pelvic Floor Exercises For Men How to do your Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises Men experience a variety of problems with their urinary system, leading to unwanted leakage of urine. Some also have difficulty controlling wind or leakage from the bowels. Often this is due to a weakness of the muscles of the pelvic floor, which have an important function in preventing these troublesome conditions. In particular, pelvic floor exercises have been shown to be effective following surgery on the prostate and when men experience a dribble after passing water. The floor of the pelvis is made up of layers of muscle and other tissues stretching from like a hammock across the floor of the pelvis and attached to your tail bone (coccyx) at the back and to the pubic bone in front. The urethra (bladder outlet) and the rectum (back passage) pass through the pelvic floor muscles. The hammock of muscles and other tissues supports the bladder and the bowel and plays an important role in bladder and bowel control. Why the Pelvic Floor Muscles get Weak The pelvic floor muscles can be weakened by:
Although there is no research evidence, it is thought by many that lack of general fitness and persistent heavy lifting tend to result in weakening of the pelvic floor. Neurological damage (e.g., after a stroke or spinal injury, or resulting from multiple sclerosis or other conditions) can also produce poor pelvic muscle function. People in this group need to seek advice from a healthcare professional. Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises You can improve control of your bladder and bowel by doing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. These exercises may also be useful in conjunction with a bladder retraining program aimed at improving bladder control in people who experience the urgent need to pass urine frequently and may not always "make it in time". How to Identify your Pelvic Floor Muscles The first thing to do is to identify correctly the muscles that need to be exercised.
Doing Your Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises Now that you can feel the muscles working, you can start to exercise them:
Do your exercises carefully. The quality is important. Fewer good exercises will be more beneficial than many half-hearted ones. Make the Exercises a Daily Routine Once you have learned how to do these exercises, they should be done regularly, giving each set your full attention. It might be helpful to have regular times during the day for doing the exercises - for example, after going to the toilet, when having a drink, when lying in bed. You will wish to tighten your pelvic floor muscles also while you are getting up from a chair, coughing or lifting. Some men find that by tightening before they undertake such activities they assist themselves in regaining control. Good results take time. In order to build up your pelvic floor muscles to their maximum strength you will need to work hard at these exercises. You will probably not notice an improvement for several weeks and you will not reach your maximum performance for a few months. When you have recovered control of your bladder or bowel you should continue doing the at least once a day for life. Other Tips to Help Your Pelvic Floor
Biofeedback Biofeedback is usually used along with pelvic floor muscle exercises for symptoms of stress and/or urge incontinence, although there has been no clear research to prove its effectiveness in men. It requires the use of mechanical or electronic equipment to provide you with visual feedback about how your muscles are working - and hopefully improving. Biofeedback needs to be used in conjunction with a specialized practitioner, usually a specialist physiotherapist or specialist nurse. Electrical Stimulation Electrical stimulation is used in the treatment of both stress and urge incontinence, but not usually as a first line of treatment (and again there is not yet any clear research evidence of its effectiveness in men). It may be administered in a clinic (either by a specialist physiotherapist or by a specialist nurse) or with the use of a small portable stimulator at home. (However, it is recommended that home treatment is supervised by a specialized health professional). It involves using a small battery-powered unit which applies an electric current to the muscles around the bladder. This current is usually passed via a small anal probe in close contact with the pelvic floor muscles or via surface electrodes placed on the perineum (the area between the front and back passages). It is hard to describe what electrical stimulation feels like. Most individuals will describe it as a tingling sensation - a bit like pins and needles - sometimes with a involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles. It will not be painful. People are usually advised to use the unit for between 20 minutes and an hour a day. You may need to continue this for somewhere between a few weeks and several months. Some people find this treatment very effective. If you have any additional questions regarding pelvic floor exercises, please don't hesitate to contact me or our office for answers to your questions. Dr. Neil Baum is a urologist and can be located at 504.891.8454 or through his website, www.neilbaum.com |
Dr. Neil Baum |
