Do you struggle with pain in your penis, testicles, or pelvic region? You’re not alone - 1 in 6 men will have some form of pelvic pain1 within the course of a year.
One of the most common conditions associated with pelvic pain in men is chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). Unlike bacterial prostatitis, where bacteria can be identified and treated with antibiotics, there is no single cause of CP/CPPS and, therefore, no single cure2.
Managing CP/CPPS requires a whole-person approach. Because our gut, pelvic organs, pelvic floor and brain are constantly working together, CP/CPPS is often associated with symptoms like urinary urgency/frequency, constipation, a feeling of not emptying your bladder completely, anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction.
Unfortunately, because each system is constantly working together, this also means that if there are problems in one area (say, your pelvic floor), it’s likely to affect another area (say, your bladder). Good news! Because these systems are always talking to each other, positive changes to one can also help the other.
Pelvic health physiotherapy can help you better understand your pelvic pain and symptoms, and help you learn strategies/exercises to:
Decrease overactivity of the pelvic floor that is often seen with pelvic pain, urgency, constipation, and incomplete emptying
Calm your bladder so you don’t need to go as often
Work with your brain to decrease its sense of “threat” in your pelvis
Decrease the sensitivity of your pelvic floor
Improve sexual function
Most importantly: get back to doing things that are important to you
If you’d like to learn more about pelvic pain, check out this short, wonderfully written book on why pelvic pain hurts and what you can do about it:
And another book on one man’s journey with his pelvic pain:
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