November is Men’s Health Awareness Month!

Fact: Men have pelvic floors too.  Unfortunately, they also can suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction like women do.  Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome or non-bacterial prostatitis is historically a very difficult condition to diagnose and treat.  In my practice over the years, I have heard so many stories from men who suffered from pelvic or genital pain, urinary symptoms, and/or rectal symptoms and went years without proper diagnosis.  Some of these clients were unable to sit, work, be intimate, or exercise.  The vast majority of them were treated with antibiotics, had relief while taking them, only to have symptoms recur once the antibiotic regimen was over.  This cycle would continue through multiple rounds of antibiotics with no lasting improvement in symptoms.  They’d undergo extensive medical testing, and everything would come back negative. 

The reason?  There is no medical test for pelvic floor dysfunction.  You cannot see it on an image, in a blood sample, or visualize it in the clinic.  The only way it can be properly diagnosed is by evaluation of the pelvic floor muscles, and that is not being done nearly enough, in my opinion.  Symptoms are typically the result of tight pelvic floor muscles that affect the urinary, GI, and reproductive systems.  If the pelvic floor muscles are tender or tight upon being touched or if symptoms are reproduced by touching the muscles, then pelvic floor physical therapy is imperative and one of the only ways clients can achieve lasting relief.

If you or someone you know is suffering from pelvic pain, constipation, difficulty urinating, urinary incontinence (leakage), urinary frequency, or sexual dysfunction, seriously consider that the pelvic floor muscles are playing a role.  This isn’t to say that there aren’t cases of bacterial infections, prostate problems, etc.  It’s good to get those ruled out.  But once they are and if symptoms persist, seek pelvic floor physical therapy.  It can truly be life-changing but is not a well-known treatment, and sometimes pelvic floor PTs who treat men can be challenging to find.

Help is available at South Shore Pelvic Health.  If you want to learn more, schedule a telehealth evaluation.

(Husband gave permission to use his likeness on this post :) ).