Men Have Pelvic Floors Too

Men Have Pelvic Floors Too

Marin Cole, DPT, PT

Yes, you read that right, men also have pelvic floor muscles. So because they have pelvic floor muscles, they too can have pelvic floor dysfunction. Men can experience pelvic pain, urinary or fecal leakage, constipation and erectile dysfunction. And their pelvic floors can be trained just like a woman’s pelvic floor to improve these symptoms.

We see men in our office every day. The diagnoses that we see most often in our clinic are men who have undergone treatment for prostate cancer or a prostatectomy. We are also fortunate enough to see some men BEFORE their prostatectomy! 

Now, is your husband or partner experiencing “pelvic floor symptoms” and not doing anything about it? I have so many female patients who have divulged information to me about their husbands while we are talking about their own symptoms and this got me thinking… Why hasn’t anyone recommended physical therapy for these gentlemen? 

This blog is for you ladies whose' husbands haven’t been able to find the help that they need! I want you to share this with your husband! Many men are under the impression that after treatment for prostate cancer or a prostatectomy or they can no longer have sex with their partners. This saddens me. It is absolutely true that these diagnoses affect their anatomy “down there” and thus affect the muscle function that is responsible for erectile function and continence. But what this also means is that those involved muscles can be retrained. So, that being said, if your male partner either is unable to have an erection or is experiencing urinary leakage, they TOO can benefit from pelvic floor physical therapy.

Next week I will be writing a blog post going over specific things that men can do to start helping with their pelvic floor dysfunction but I first want men to understand that there is hope for them too. Just because they have had prostate cancer or even a prostatectomy it doesn’t mean sex is off the table.

Cheers!

Marin