Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in Men

In America millions of men are suffering from symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction and in many cases this condition remains undetected and untreated. According to a survey 1 out of every 5 Americans undergo with some type of pelvic floor dysfunction at some point in their life. The person who has weak pelvic floor muscles is more likely to get this disorder as weak muscles causes urinary and sexual dysfunction.

What is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Pelvic floor muscles are the ligament and layer of muscles that helps in supporting the pelvic organs i.e. bladder, uterus and the bowel, aid in urinary and fecal abstinence and also assists in sexual performance.

The contraction and relaxation of these muscles helps you to control and manage your bowel and bladder activities.  Pelvic floor dysfunction is the condition in which the person is unable to control and hold these muscles to have a normal bowel movement, flow of urine and erection or ejaculation. In pelvic floor dysfunction people usually contract their muscles instead of relaxing them.

Symptoms:

There are numerous symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. If you face any of such symptoms you should consider consulting your doctor.

Major symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction include:

• You feel the need of frequent bowel movements with feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation
• Pain while having bowel movement
• Constipation alternating with diarrhea
• Sudden and frequent urge to pass urine
• Pain while urinating
• Poor urinary stream
• A continuous pain in your pelvic region or genitals
• Lower back pain or discomfort

Causes:

The exact cause of pelvic floor dysfunction is not clear however, it is believed that some traumatic injuries like accident, infection, insidious onset and poor posture can contribute to this problem. In women, complication during child birth such as prolonged labor or obstructed delivery are some of the causes.

Treatment:

Pelvic floor dysfunction can be treated via different exercises and therapies. Usually no surgery is required to treat this condition.

• Biofeedback:

It is one of the most highly recommended treatment protocols for the management of pelvic floor dysfunction. This treatment approach is a combination of different therapies including but not limited to physical therapy, electrical stimulation and strength training. In this technique sensors are also used to monitor pelvic floor muscle movement in patients and then therapist work to improve the muscle coordination.

75% people suffering with pelvic floor dysfunction reports significant improvement in their symptoms after biofeedback therapies.

• Relaxation techniques:

There are several relaxation techniques that help you to address the symptoms of this disorder, such as, warm bath, yoga and other exercises to strengthen the core.

• Medication:

Sometimes a low dose muscle relaxant is also advised to patients to treat this condition.

• Different exercises:

There are various exercises that help you to get rid of this disorder, like Kegels. In this form of muscle training exercises, experts recommend using core muscles to strengthen the pelvic floor. Squeeze your core muscles in a way that scrotum lift up and penis draw in. Hold your posture for a few seconds to maintain the squeeze. Repeat this exercise 10 times a day, or as frequently as you can to improve your posture. Don’t put pressure on the bladder. Stretching and other home-based exercises also plays a great role to ease the symptoms.

• Surgery:

If the rectal prolapsed or rectocele occur as a result of pelvic floor dysfunction then surgery is required. Rectal prolapsed occur when tissues surrounding the rectum falls down into the opening of anal canal.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is treatable with different exercises and therapies. Learn different relaxation techniques, stretching and maintaining good posture can help in strengthening pelvic floor muscle and reducing its symptoms.