Did you know that over 5 million Australians of all ages experience bladder or bowel control issues and around 1 in 5 older Australians and 1 in 20 younger Australians are incontinent? Incontinence costs us $42.9 billion p.a., which equates to $9,014 per person.
Are you (or a significant man you know) suffering in silence? Let’s take a look at the symptoms:
Urinary frequency
Urinary urgency
Nocturia (frequent night time urination)
Urinary incontinence
Hesitancy (difficulty initiating urination)
Intermittent urine stream
Terminal dribble (a prolonged final part of urination, slowing down to a dribble)
Post micturition dribble (an involuntary loss of urine immediately after toileting)
Excessive straining
These symptoms are not something that you should have to put up with. If incontinence is treated conservatively, 75% are either cured or significantly improved.
In addition, a short mention on the infamous Prostate and a little condition called Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) which can present with the above symptoms.
BPH also known as prostate gland enlargement is a common condition that occurs in men where the prostate gland gradually enlarges over time. Most men will develop some degree of BPH during their lifetime and a number of individuals will experience incontinence as a result. Just to reiterate, these symptoms are treatable!
It is important to note that BPH is NOT prostate cancer! If you are concerned about Prostate Cancer you should make a visit to your GP for prostate cancer screening? This is even more important if you can check off any off the following list.
Age > 50
A family history of prostate cancer or;
Have had an onset of urinary symptoms such as those mentioned above
Assessing and Treating/Managing the Male Pelvic Floor
Origin’s Physiotherapists are trained to assess and treat men in relation to the bladder, bowel, pelvic floor and prostate (including post-prostatectomy). Remember you don’t need to suffer in silence, but we need to see you to help you. To demystify a little of the unknown we will set out what things may look like.
Assessment:
We call the initial consultation a ‘Men’s Health’ consultation
This initial consultation involves a thorough interview and physical assessment
The physical assessment may encompass both manual and ultrasound modalities. This may be a challenging experience for some of our men, so we make it paramount that all our men are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve
Diagnosis. After the diagnosis we move on to planning the treatment/management
Treatment/management would consist of an individualised treatment plan with goal setting, progression and modification. Below are some treatments you may find in a treatment plan.
Pelvic Floor Muscle (PFM) Training
Increase PFM strength, endurance and functional use
Bladder and Bowel retraining
Urge suppression and deferral
Fluid intake
Voiding posture
Defecation training
Lifestyle Interventions
General exercise
Education
Modification of activities of daily living (ADLs)
In summary the male pelvic floor is a somewhat a taboo topic until something goes wrong. If you have any of the symptoms listed (or you know a man who does), we encourage you to contact a pelvic floor physiotherapist or GP. Early intervention is always best so let’s break down the silence and continue the dialogue.