Male pelvic floor therapy is no different than female pelvic floor therapy. The anatomy is slightly different but what is looked such as pelvic stability and the internal manual treatment are essentially the same. Male pelvic floor therapy MUST include looking at the pelvis, the ‘house’ that the pelvic floor is the ‘floor’ of.
Before we begin, let’s see what the pelvic floor is, what the associated symptoms with pelvic floor dysfunction are, and how male pelvic floor therapy is done. I strongly suggest that you visit my blog page packed with valuable information related to pelvic floor dysfunction, its causes, symptoms, signs, treatment, and failures in treatment.
Where Is The Pelvic Floor?
As stated in my blog, Pelvic floor exercises for women, “The pelvic floor involves the inner lining of the pelvic inlet as well. The pelvic inlet is like a 3-piece-bowl and these muscles line the bowl holding the bladder, uterus, ovaries, and intestine which can get ‘squished’ or compressed by the pressure coming from above. This pressure is influenced by our breathing, posture (and postural distortion), and spinal abnormalities such as Scoliosis, Pectus Excavatum (pushed in chest), and Pectus Carniatum (pushed out chest).
Since the bowl has 3 pieces that meet as 2 joints in the back forming the Sacro-iliac joints (or SI joint between Sacrum and Ilium), and in the front to form the Pubic Symphysis or the pubic bone, the alignment and health of these joints play a role and in women, because of pregnancy and childbirth, they can get compromised.
Pelvis bones (courtesy of https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/)
The hips form a joint with the Acetabulum or Socket, and the lower back sits on top of the pelvis; their direct attachment to the ‘bowl’, and the impact of the lower portion of the mid-back on the lower back directly influences the integrity of the alignment of the bowl. If you are thinking that the pelvic floor is unstable and weak, that is not true by any means. The joints are reinforced by an intricate network of connective tissue and the flexibility of these joints is quite strong so you should look at it like an earthquake-resistant building that can withstand quite a bit but the building should be inspected after each jolt and if minor fixings are taken care of, it will be well prepared for the next jolt.”
What Are The Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
I have written a whole blog on the obvious and subtle signs and symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction that I strongly recommend you refer to. The ones that the majority of people refer to are:
- Urinary incontinence
- Fecal incontinence or Bowel incontinence
- Prolapse of uterus
- Bladder prolapse
- Bladder pain syndrome or Interstitial Cystitis
- Hemorrhoid
- Feeling pain in the pelvic area with or without going to the bathroom
- Pain in the vulva or penis
But there are so many other symptoms and signs that should flag pelvic floor dysfunction early on that are being missed!! That is because we live in a society that only looks at BIG, LOUD findings when the smart way is to recognize the subtle signs and not wait until the small problems become big. Watch this video to learn what we should be doing now and going forward!
What Does Male Pelvic Floor Therapy Include?
When it is determined that there is pelvic instability and pelvic floor dysfunction, regardless of gender, in my clinic, this is the checklist to follow:
- Stability of the pelvis
- Movement assessment and quality
- Range of motion of the hips, lower back
- Forward posture of the pelvis and torso
- Exercises related to at least those areas
- Quality of breathing
- Read my blog on the very subject
- Spinal manipulation of the mid-back, lower back, and pelvis
- Active Release Technique of the muscles of the hips, sacro-iliac, and lumbar spine
- Ergonomics
- Nutritional recommendation to support tissue recovery
- Sports and activities and how they are performed
- Assuring that they do not contribute to the problem unknowingly
- May or may not use Emsella Chair to strengthen the muscles inside the pelvis
- Sleeping positions
- Perhaps even adjust it to what is happening at the time until the issue is addressed and progressed
- Internal pelvic floor muscle
Male pelvic floor dysfunction, like all health related conditions must include a comprehensive approach or the partial treatment will lead to a partial solution, a problem that lingers and keeps coming back.
If you have pelvic floor dysfunction, if you do not wish to have internal manual work done or have had it done and have received minimal result, you may wish to contact my office.
Dr. Shakib
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