Pelvic Health & Orthopedic Physical Therapy
Addressing your questions about pelvic, women's, and musculoskeletal health. Health is a journey. Movement is healing!
Well it seems like time is passing exceptionally quickly this year. It is already NOVEMBER. November is prostate cancer awareness month or more affectionately called Movember. So wear your facial hair proudly and promote support and awareness of prostate cancer. As such, I thought I would do a run down of prostate health, prostate cancer, and physical therapy rehabilitation following the removal or reduction of the prostate. Just a quick anatomy lesson. The prostate is a gland in the male body that surrounds the urethra at the base of the bladder. It is part of the male reproductive system. Just below the prostate lies the pelvic floor musculature that controls the opening and closing of the urethra and supports the internal organs. As men age their prostate grows in size. This cell growth can be benign in nature, which is oftentimes referred to as BPH (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia). When there is growth in the prostate gland it may make it more challenging for an individual to pass urine. However, with increased age also comes the increased chance that the cell growth in the prostate gland becomes cancerous. One in seven men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime. It is the second most common cancer in men over the age of 65 years old. Men are encourage to seek examinations of their prostates starting at age 50 to monitor the development of prostate cancer. The symptoms for prostate cancer are similar to that of an enlarged prostate (BPH) including: difficulty passing urine or emptying the bladder, increased frequency to pass urine, pain with urination, pain or difficulty with intercourse. These symptoms may also present with pain in the back, hips, and abdomen. Talk to your physician if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. So how does this relate to physical therapy? Following medical intervention to treat prostate cancer or BPH men may begin to experience symptoms on the other end of the spectrum, they accidentally lose control of their bladder and experience urinary leakage. If you look at the picture of the male bladder anatomy above, just below the prostate is the urethral sphincter, which is composed of musculature that controls the opening and closing of the urethra. For so long the prostate regulated the flow or rather lack of flow of urine so the pelvic floor musculature may have become weak and/or uncoordinated or previous insufficiency with this musculature is finally unmasked. The pelvic floor is now the primary regulator for passing urine and if it is weak or uncoordinated the chance of unexpectedly or accidentally urinating increases. Physical Therapists with specialized training in pelvic floor rehabilitation can identify this pelvic floor dysfunction and help an individual strengthen and gain control over their pelvic floor, allowing the individual to control urination. |
AuthorHello! I am Caitlyn, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Board Certified Women's Health Physical Therapist working in St Louis, Missouri. Faculty in developing residency program. Endowarrior Categories
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