MEN'S PELVIC FLOOR

Men's

Pelvic Floor

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Do you know what or where your pelvic floor muscles are?

Do you know what the pelvic floor muscles do?

Do you know how to make your pelvic floor muscles contract or relax?

Do you have any of the following symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction?

Do you leak wee when you exercise/cough or sneeze?

Do you feel like you don't empty your bladder or bowels completely when you go to the toilet?

Are you always looking for a toilet and going just in case?

Do you have an after-dribble?

Do you find yourself straining or spending more than 10 minutes per day on the toilet to poo?

 


The Pelvic Floor

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles and ligaments that are as thick as the palm of your hand, and they create the 'floor' of your pelvis, attaching to the pubic bone at the front and your coccyx at the back.


What does your pelvic floor do?

These muscles help you maintain control of your wee and poo, they also help to support your pelvic organs (bladder, bowel and uterus) helping prevent them from falling down into the vagina (prolapse). The pelvic floor also aids in your sexual function, arousal and orgasm.

What can cause Pelvic Floor concerns?

Prostate or pelvic surgery including bowel resections

Heavy lifting

Constipation and straining

Weight changes (particularly an increase in abdominal fat)

Chronic coughing

Radiation therapy


How can my Physiotherapy services help you?

My Physiotherapy services can help you , for most men I am able to restore your full Pelvic Health and provide you with a substantial improvement in your quality of life.


 I will provide you with an individualised assessment and treatment plan for your Pelvic Floor concerns.


Treatment may include:

  • Pelvic floor muscle training
  • Advice and education on suitable exercise and fitness programs
  • Advice and education on your bladder and bowel habits


It's never too late for you to have a pelvic floor check

If you have concerns about your Pelvic Floor, Post Prostate Surgery or you are about to undergo Prostate Surgery, please don't hesitate to contact me to make an appointment.


I can help you maintain your optimal Pelvic Health for life. 

BOOK NOW

Pregnancy and Pelvic Health Diaries

Do you want to know more about your Pelvic Floor?

Prostate Surgery and Pelvic Physiotherapy

By Cara Richmond • October 15, 2022
Seeing a Pelvic Health Physio prior to surgery can help you prepare your pelvic floor for the recovery afterwards, provide you with advice and education on how to manage your bladder control and optimise your rehabilitation. I recommend that men attend at least 2 appointments prior to surgery, where you have time to ask lots of questions, raise any concerns and it also helps you to o ptimise the time prior to surgery to learn how to e ngage your pelvic floor muscles to help with bladder control and erectile function post op. You are encouraged to bring your spouse or support person along to your appointments. What does a Pelvic Health appointment look like? During your pre surgery appointment, I spend a lot of time getting a through history of your bladder, urinary and erectile function and symptoms to get a baseline of where things are at before the surgery. I often use a bladder diary to try and workout how much wee you produce over 24 hours, how often you are going to the toilet and how much on average you wee out when you go to the the toilet. This is all information that we can use to help your recovery and plan your treatment after surgery. During your appointment we spend a lot of time trying various different techniques to help y ou learn how to correctly contract your pelvic floor muscles. One of the best ways we have is to use biofeedback, which is using an ultrasound machine (similar to the one that looks at your organs, or a baby in the uterus). For our purposes we use it to identify and focus on watching how you muscles contract with various different cues. You will be able to visually see how your muscles contract and squeeze and this will help your brain and pelvic floor muscle connection to help You get a better contraction and sense of control when you actively squeeze your pelvic floor muscles . What does Pelvic Physio do after Prostate Surgery? After prostate surgery, I recommend booking an appointment 7-10 days after your catheter has been removed. This allows some time for the swelling, pain and healing of the urethral (wee tube) muscle. My plan for post op visits are dependent on your specific goals and how you feel your pelvic floor, bladder control and erectile function are going. Your follow up appointments may involve an in-depth assessment of your bladder function, pad weights (to track leakage of wee improvements), ultrasound assessment and biofeedback (muscle training) of your pelvic floor muscles, erectile rehabilitation, scar management and physical activity and overall muscle recovery including abdominals.

Help I have haemorrhoids!

By Cara Richmond • September 27, 2022
What are haemorrhoids? Haemorrhoids are swollen veins in your anus and lower rectum. if the haemorrhoid is inside your rectum it is called and internal haemorrhoid. If its located on the outside of your anus its called an external haemorrhoid. Symptoms of external haemorrhoids Itching or irritation in your anal area Pain or discomfort with sitting or pain during a poo Difficulty getting clean after passing a bowel motion (lots and lots of wiping) Swelling around your anus Bleeding when passing a poo You can generally see these when you look in a mirror Symptoms of internal haemorrhoids Painless bleeding when passing a poo that is bright red in colour a sensation of a bulge or prolapse of something in the anus when doing a poo, which you may feel that you need to push back up the rectum Not visible without looking internally at the rectum What can cause haemorrhoids? Poor toileting habits and straining in the toilet Pregnancy and childbirth Regular heavy lifting Being overweight or obese Chronic diarrhoea or constipation What can I do to help my haemorrhoids at home? 1. Adopt good toileting habits Avoid straining use a footstool to raise your knees higher than your hips spend no longer than 10 minutes on the toilet 2. Increase your fluid and fibre intake Try and consume at least 8 glasses of water per day, more if you are exercising or completing physical work Eat foods high in natural fibres, such as pears, kiwifruit, prunes, dates, chia seeds and flaxseed 3. Avoid excessive wiping You should aim for 3-4 wipes with toilet paper. If you wipe more than that you can irritate the skin around the anus and the haemorrhoid. Try using water, sorbolene on toilet paper or cold flannels to assist cleaning after a poo, if you find it difficult to clean 4. Avoid prolonged sitting Long periods of sitting, at your desk, car or on the toilet can increase the pressure in the veins around your anus and can cause bigger haemorrhoids. When should I seek help for my haemorrhoids? Any rectal bleeding should be investigated by you GP or local Doctor to rule out other more sinister causes of your bleeding like colon or rectal cancer If you feel that you may have a prolapsed haemorrhoid changes in your bowel habits, e.g. your unable to empty completely now, you notice a mucous discharge If you experience anal pain that disrupts your normal daily life

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