Male Pelvic Health

Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis

Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis is a common referral to pelvic floor physical therapy clinics. Yet, the journey to find physical therapy, and to learn that your symptoms aren’t related to a UTI or STI, can be a long and frustrating process. There’s a common misconception that pelvic floor physical therapy is only appropriate for women, particularly related to pregnancy, postpartum care, or in relation to sexual dysfunction. Awareness that males, too, can struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction is improving, albeit slowly.

Males dealing with urinary issues report first seeing their general practitioner, a urologist, or sometimes even gastroenterology, but after a few negative tests, are likely sent on their way with medication(s). Most patients report that this process is repeated multiple times, prior to pelvic floor physical therapy being brought up at all. This can take consulting with multiple providers prior to finding a provider familiar with the connection to our pelvic musculature. It is a frustrating and drawn-out process for many.

If we dive a little deeper into why physical therapy can help, we can look to the muscles in our pelvis specifically. The muscles in the pelvic floor help us retain as well as release urine at the appropriate times. We get into “dysfunction” when these muscles are chronically tight, have poor coordination, or cause pain with urination or bowel movements due to an upregulated nervous system.

Chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, or chronic pelvic pain syndrome, accounts for almost 90% of individuals with a diagnosis of prostatitis according to NIH. Symptoms that you may be experiencing include frequency of urination (<3 hours between voids), a small amount of leakage or dribbling after urination, burning or pain during/after urination, or waking at night >1x to urinate. It is common, as was mentioned before, for these patients to be put through a number of tests, given a few medications that may mildly improve their symptoms, but truly find minimal to no real relief. Symptoms can come and go related to stress, changes in your diet, increase in activity, or may increase with prolonged pressure at the pelvic floor (ie. biking, sitting for extended periods, or chronic constipation/straining for bowel movements).

Pelvic floor physical therapy can help with your symptoms by teaching you to relax and stretch these muscles, improve your body awareness of how you manifest stress or anxiety, change urinary habits, improve coordination of the pelvic floor muscles, and improve your body’s ability to fully void as well as hold in urine with improved control. Additional symptoms may include difficulty with achieving erections, difficulty with ejaculation, low back or hip pain, testicular pain, pain to the tip of the penis, or pain at the groin line and abdomen.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar to you or someone you know, seek out a consultation with a pelvic floor physical therapist to start your journey towards an improved quality of life and reducing painful symptoms.

21 Surprising Facts About Your Pelvic Floor

Your pelvic floor is a (somewhat) rarely discussed part of the human body.

It helps us urinate, has a role in intercourse, helps with bowel movements, and stretches quite a bit during pregnancy and giving birth. The latter of which is why many of our clients reach out. 

How can we coordinate the pelvic floor to reduce pain during sex, stop leakage, and “get back to normal”? Physical therapy helps! And, we recommend seeing a PT before getting pregnant (if possible), during, and definitely after pregnancy to properly strengthen this vital set of muscles. 

Did you know? 

1. The pelvic floor is made up of layers of muscles and other tissues

2. It’s shaped like a hammock, from your tailbone to your pubic bone

3. Exercises can help reduce the need for surgery for pelvic floor dysfunction

4. Passing wind from the vagina when bending over can be a sign of PFD

5. Pelvic floor issues can affect both men and women 

6. If you’re experiencing chronic jaw soreness, your pelvic floor could be why

7. Pelvic floor work is part of strengthening your core

8. Doing Kegels on your own is not recommended (ask a professional - these could actually harm you!)

9. Pain when inserting a tampon or having sex is not considered “normal” and could be a pelvic floor issue

10. Overexercising your pelvic floor can also lead to problems

11. The pelvic floor is controlled by the brain and nervous system

12. Pelvic floor dysfunction can cause lower back pain

13. The stronger your pelvic floor… the stronger your orgasms (yes, truth!)

14. Lower estrogen levels can result in weakened pelvic floors

15. You can experience pelvic floor issues even if you had a C-section

16. Caffeine and alcohol can negatively affect your pelvic floor as they are diuretics and cause your kidneys to create more urine (if you can, try to switch to decaf as much as possible!)

17. Pelvic muscle spasms can be attributed to pelvic floor dysfunction

18. A frequent need to urinate could be a sign of pelvic floor dysfunction

19. Almost one-quarter of women face pelvic floor disorders

20. Women and men who are overweight or obese may have more pelvic floor issues

21. You can fix many, many problems associated with your pelvic floor through targeted, specific exercises and PT!

Both Lea and Katie of Klein Physical Therapy in Denver, Colorado can treat pelvic floor issues. It doesn’t have to be something you “just live with.” Life can be more enjoyable with a healthy pelvic floor. Join us in-person and virtually with pelvic floor workshops and education, as well as one-on-one sessions with either of our specialized physical therapists.