Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men of All Ages
Men of all ages can experience pelvic floor problems at some time in their life.
Problems with your pelvic floor can affect your bladder, bowel and sexual
function.
Layers of muscle stretch like a hammock from the pubic bone in front to the
bottom of the backbone. There is an extra ring of muscle around the back
passage (anal sphincter) which is important for bowel control. Men also have
two other sphincters that help to prevent urine leakage. One is at the base of
the bladder and the other one just beneath the prostate gland. These firm
supportive muscles are called your pelvic floor. These muscles work to help
keep the bladder and bowel openings closed to prevent leakage of urine,
faeces and wind. Good pelvic floor muscles may also help to achieve an
erection and may prevent premature ejaculation.
What causes pelvic floor muscle problems?
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Prostate surgery for example prostatectomy or TURP (transurethral
resection of the prostate) can affect the pelvic floor and its nerve
supply.
Poor physical fitness due to a lack of regular exercise or being
overweight can lead to poor muscle tone
Chronic constipation, lifting or a chronic cough can all damage the
muscle.
Some neurological conditions e.g. Multiple Sclerosis or stroke can
affect the nerve supply to the muscle.
Symptoms may include:
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Leaking of urine during activities such as coughing, laughing and
during sports
A sudden feeling that you need to rush to the toilet
Leakage of stools or difficulty controlling wind
Leakage of a small amount of urine after you have finished passing
urine
Erectile dysfunction
Premature ejaculation
How the Pelvic Floor Works
The muscles of the pelvic floor are kept firm and slightly tense to stop leakage
of urine from the bladder or faeces from the bowel. When you pass water or
have a bowel motion the pelvic floor muscles relax. Afterwards they tighten
back up to restore control.
How pelvic floor exercises can help
Pelvic floor exercises can strengthen these muscles so that they once again
give support. This will improve your bladder control and improve or stop
leakage of urine. Like any other muscles in the body the more you exercise
them the stronger the pelvic floor will be.
How to do pelvic floor exercises
1 Sit comfortably with knees/legs slightly apart. Try to squeeze the muscles
around your back passage as if you are trying to stop passing wind and at the
same time feel as if you are trying to stop yourself passing urine. You should
feel the muscle “lift and squeeze”
2 Try and relax your buttocks and legs as you do this. Some men will feel a
gentle tightening in their lower tummy as they do pelvic floor exercises – this
is normal.
3 You can check if the muscle is working by using a small mirror to look at the
area between your legs or stand in front of a mirror. When you do a
contraction you should see your penis dip downwards and testicles lift.
Your pelvic floor muscle exercise programme
You need to practice both long and short squeezes.
Long squeezes – see if you can squeeze your pelvic floor and hold for 5
seconds. Try and repeat 10 times relaxing for 3 seconds between each
squeeze. As your muscle gets stronger try and hold each squeeze for up to
10 seconds.
Short squeezes – squeeze you pelvic floor and hold for 1 second. Relax and
then repeat straight away. Aim to do 10 of these.
Your “exercise programme” therefore runs as 10 long squeezes followed by
10 short ones. This should only take about 2 minutes. Aim to do the
programme at least 3 times a day. Initially men might find it easier to do the
exercises in sitting or lying but as you improve you should aim to do them in
other positions too e.g. standing.
In addition after urinating tighten your pelvic floor muscles strongly to help
empty the last few drops out and prevent leakage.
If you are sexually active tighten the pelvic floor muscle during intercourse to
maintain the quality of your erection.
In addition to your daily exercise sessions you should aim to tighten and hold
your pelvic floor muscles before you do anything that might put them under
pressure such as lifting, coughing and sneezing. This will give your pelvis
more support and will hopefully stop you from leaking urine if this is a
problem.
Whilst some women notice improvements in their symptoms soon after
starting the exercises it might take up to 3 or 4 months to see the full benefits.
Remembering to exercise
During a busy day it is sometimes hard to remember to do your exercises. Try
and fit them into your normal daily routine. Do them while you are brushing
your teeth, after meals, or every time you put the kettle on – whatever works
for you.
Do you need more help?
If you have and problems doing the exercises or find that your symptoms are
not improving you might need extra help.
You can ask you GP to refer you or you can refer yourself directly to a
Continence Physiotherapist within the Continence Service.
Useful Contacts:
The Continence Service
Gaol Street Clinic
48 Gaol Street
Hereford
01432 378933
Physiotherapy Department
Hereford County Hospital
Union Walk
Hereford
01432 364026