Men’s Health is a specialty area of physiotherapy that focuses on the management of pelvic floor dysfunction including, incontinence, overactive bladder, bowel dysfunction, pelvic pain and erectile & sexual dysfunction.
Men’s health issues can be embarrassing, uncomfortable and disruptive to your daily life. At Elevation Health & Physiotherapy we understand the intimacy of these issues and take male pelvic health seriously. We want to help men at all stages of their life, by creating awareness and empowering men through education and tailored pelvic health physiotherapy solutions.
Our specialty-trained pelvic health physiotherapists are passionate about helping men resolve these problems and significantly improve their quality of life by providing customized treatment programs in a safe and comfortable environment.
Chronic pelvic pain is a hidden problem. It can’t be seen, it’s hard to diagnose and often men suffer for many years before finding help. Chronic pelvic pain in men is more common than you think and can be very distressing, both physically and emotionally.
Our specialized pelvic health physiotherapists understand the complexity of the “pelvic pain” problem helping you to understand your pain and work with you to improve this important aspect of your life.
If you are experiencing the following symptoms our pelvic health physiotherapists can help:
- Pain with sitting
- Pain in the anus, testes or penis
- Pain with erection, ejaculation or orgasm
- Tailbone pain (Coccydynia)
- Involuntary pelvic floor spasm
- Pain when you have a full bladder
- Lower back or Sacroiliac joint pain that refers to you pelvic area
Urinary Incontinence is the lack of voluntary control over urination and may increase as we get older. Difficulty controlling and emptying your bladder are frustrating and embarrassing problems that can have a huge impact on your quality of life. You might find yourself feeling embarrassed at the urinal, arranging your daily routine around where the nearest toilets are, or waking up exhausted because your bladder has interrupted your sleep.
At Elevation Health & Physiotherapy we teach you effective strategies, awareness techniques, and pelvic floor exercises to maintain a healthy bladder and improve your quality of life. Incontinence is manageable and most often treatable irrespective of your age or physical condition.
If you are experiencing the following symptoms our pelvic health physiotherapists can help:
- Rushing to the toilet with an overwhelming urge to urinate
- Leaking urine on the way to the toilet
- Going to the toilet frequently
- Having your sleep interrupted by the need to urinate
- Feeling like you haven’t emptied your bladder properly
- Having to return to the toilet soon after urinating
- Difficulty getting started or having to strain to empty your bladder
- Leaking after you have finished urinating or have walked away from the toilet
Bowel issues refer to problems with constipation or passing stools or gas. This may lead to the unwanted passing of stool or gas, called faecal incontinence or flatus incontinence, and can be very stressful to deal with. For the bowel to function correctly, certain nerves in your body need to control the right muscles, instructing them when to contract and to release in order to allow faeces or gas to be eliminated when you want it to.
Faecal and flatus incontinence occur due to various reasons, which can include pelvic floor dysfunction, diarrhea, constipation, and nerve injuries.
At Elevation Health & Physiotherapy we understand the devastating effects that bowel issues can have on your quality of life and that’s why we offer specialized treatment and rehabilitation solutions tailored to your needs.
If you are experiencing the following symptoms our pelvic health physiotherapists can help:
- Having to strain to empty your bowel (Hard Stools)
- Constipation
- Incomplete bowel emptying
- Soiling your underwear
- Accidentally passing gas
- Rushing to the toilet for a bowel action with an overwhelming urge to go
- We work closely with your referring doctor and other health professionals to achieve your goals.
Prostate enlargement is normal for men over 50, but can cause bladder outlet obstruction or a slow, incomplete bladder emptying especially following prostate surgery.
Prostate cancer and surgery can be a difficult journey both emotionally and physically for men and their families. After prostate surgery for prostate cancer, many men find that they have trouble with incontinence. As the prostate is removed, part of the mechanism that keeps men dry is also removed. The pelvic floor, which is part of your bladder control mechanism, will need to play a greater role to compensate for this.
Pelvic floor physiotherapy can help you recover from prostate surgery. There is a lot of high-level evidence encouraging men to see a specialized pelvic health physiotherapist before and after prostate surgery. The combination of education, pelvic floor muscle training, and psychological support that is provided has been shown to improve outcomes in incontinence and quality of life.
Our specialized pelvic health physiotherapists are passionate about helping men with Prostate Cancer improve their function and quality of life.
Common bladder symptoms associated with prostate surgery that our pelvic health physiotherapists can help with:
- Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze or laugh
- Urine loss when moving from sitting to standing, walking or exercising
- Leaking urine on the way to the toilet
- Going to the toilet frequently
- We work closely with your referring doctor and other health professionals to achieve your goals.
The inability to achieve or maintain an erection is common, especially as men age. Diminishing sexual performance is distressing and can affect sexual intimacy, self-esteem, confidence, relationships and quality of life.
There are many factors, including your pelvic floor, that can affect your ability to maintain an erection. The pelvic floor muscles play an important role in gaining and maintaining an erection and research has shown that men with strong pelvic floor muscles have better erectile function.
Any damage to the muscles, the blood supply or the nerves of the pelvic floor can cause problems with sexual functioning along with a number of other possible causes such as:
- Weak pelvic floor muscles due to constipation, ageing, or heavy lifting
- Prostate surgery
- Other pelvic surgeries
- Neurological disorders eg: Parkinson’s Disease or Multiple Sclerosis
- Diabetes
- Vascular issues such as high blood pressure
- Lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking alcohol & inactivity
- Psychological factors, anxiety & depression
At Elevation Health & Physiotherapy we teach you effective strategies and pelvic floor exercises to maintain healthy sexual function and improve your quality of life.
If you are experiencing the following symptoms our pelvic health physiotherapists can help:
- Erections that take a long time to achieve
- Erections that are insufficient for penetration
- Erections that fade quickly
You are not alone
Of men who visit the GP have poor bladder and bowel control.
Of men in their 50's have mild or moderate erectile dysfunction.
Of men over 18 have an overactive bladder.
Of men suffer from urinary incontinence after prostate surgery.