It is estimated that 10% of men in the United States suffer from pelvic pain. Historically, the prostate has been blamed as the culprit. We now know that in the absence of an infection, 95% of the cases of male pelvic pain are actually stemming from neuromuscular causes such as pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor physical therapy is listed as 1st-line treatment for these disorders by the American Urologic Association.
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Peter was a 63 year old experiencing urinary urgency and leakage three months after having his prostate surgically removed for prostate cancer. Luckily, his surgeon referred him to a pelvic floor physical and occupational therapists. He was using at least two incontinence pads per day, but was mostly […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Merrimack Over the last couple of years PHRC has shared many YouTube videos and educational material on Instagram educating our viewers and readers about pelvic health. We have received an overwhelming response to several of our posts discussing male pelvic pain, in particular penile pain. Listed below are […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, MPT, Cofounder, PHRC Lexington In the past, when most folks in the medical community thought about pelvic pain, the assumption often was that it was due to pregnancy or labor and delivery, or something related to a woman’s menstrual cycle or reproductive organs. Thankfully, the medical community has come a long way. […]
By Molly Bachmann PT, DPT, PHRC San Francisco “Penile numbness, perineum pain, post void dribble . . . oh my!” *All names and other identifying information has been changed. Symptom Presentation: Frank began to have pain in his perineum seemingly out of the blue. The only connection he could make was an […]
By Stephanie Prendergast, MPT and Urology Expert Joshua Gonzalez, MD Most men who develop the symptoms of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) are given unnecessary courses of antibiotics, at least once. How do we know they were unnecessary? Most of our patients have never been properly tested for a prostate infection. Men with CPPS […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Did You Know…. Pelvic floor exercises are equally effective as sildenafil (Viagra) in treating erectile dysfunction. Pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy can help incontinence, erectile dysfunction, post void dribbling, overactive bladder, premature ejaculation, and pelvic floor tension myalgia. Erectile dysfunction is associated with twice as much […]
By Morgan Conner, DPT Clyde’s symptoms started about one year before he first came to physical and occupational therapy. They started suddenly after he forced an orgasm by squeezing his pelvic floor while enjoying morning sex. Later that day he started feeling pins and needles in his prostate, pain at the tip of the […]
By Tiffany Yuen, DPT, PHRC Los Gatos Did you know… Chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) has a worldwide prevalence between 2% and 16% and is the most common urologic disease in men below 50 years old (Smith et al., 2016) Painful ejaculation has a prevalence between 1% and 10% in the general […]
As physical and occupational therapistss, we often refer to our patients’ last day with us as Graduation Day. I always enjoy Graduation Day because it means the patient has accomplished their goals; their symptoms have reduced, they are able to function without limitations, and they are leaving as happier, healthier individuals. To put it plainly, […]
By: Rachel Daof, DPT People often ask me what symptoms men present with that land them in pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy. The truth is, men suffer from similar issues as women when it involves their pelvic floor: bowel, bladder, sexual dysfunction, and/or pain in the pelvic region. Furthermore, it’s not only the […]
When I first discussed sharing Tyler’s story on this blog, we talked about why men are not aware of pelvic floor PT. We talked about how most websites list “chronic prostatitis” or “male pelvic pain syndrome” to define his symptoms. He shared with me what men are most likely typing into Google when looking for […]
By Elizabeth Akincilar, Cofounder, PHRC Lexington May is Pelvic Pain Awareness Month and at PHRC we want to do our part to help people better understand pelvic pain syndromes and more importantly, help people suffering with these diagnoses get the help they need to recover. Since knowledge is power we created 5 videos and blog […]
By: Elizabeth Akincilar, PHRC Cofounder Explaining to someone who has never heard of pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy what type of physical and occupational therapy I practice is always an interesting conversation. People usually assume certain things about my practice. Most assume I primarily treat older women with “bladder issues” and new moms. People […]
The holiday season tends to be a stressful time for many people. It’s not uncommon for people to feel their bodies tense up as the levels of stress and anxiety rise – and every year we see an increase in patient numbers as a result. In December, I had the opportunity to evaluate a male […]
By Dr. Joshua Gonzalez As a sexual medicine specialist, I spend a good deal of time talking about erections. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is actually a pretty common problem. Estimates of the prevalence of ED range from 9% to 40% of men by age 40, and generally increase by 10% with each decade thereafter1. […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek What would men’s health month be without a blog about prostate cancer? One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime. Will this number be affected by the recent change in the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s change in recommendations on screening for […]
By Admin David was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and prostatitis. Antibiotics did not help. Did he have an infection or pelvic floor dysfunction? A few initial words from David: “My journey that ended with pelvic health and rehabilitation began with an unfortunate experience that I understand is all too common a […]
By Shannon Pacella, DPT, PHRC Lexington Unfortunately, the majority of the men we see at PHRC have been through quite a journey with their pelvic pain, before finding pelvic floor physical and occupational therapy. I want to share a recent success story about one of my male patients, Ben (his name has been […]
By Stephanie Prendergast and Elizabeth Akincilar-Rummer Tony is one of those people who seem superhuman. In his early 30s, he’s lean and athletic. When he isn’t chasing after one of his three young children or helping to run a successful family business, you can find him surfing, hunting, snowboarding, golfing, swimming, or playing […]
By Melinda Fontaine, DPT, PHRC Walnut Creek Meet Paul and Ashley. Paul and Ashley have an active sex life. They are taking the time to get to know each other’s bodies and pleasures as well as their own. They are trying new ways of being intimate and using toys. They are having fun […]
As many of us reading this blog can attest, pelvic pain can be an issue that leaves us feeling not only physically uncomfortable, but emotionally/mentally drained and isolated. Often, by the time many people get seen by a physical and occupational therapists, they have been mismanaged by other providers, leading to increased frustration among other […]
