Prostate Cancer
What are the stats?
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in American men. It is estimated that about 1 in 8 men are diagnosed during their lifetime and 1 in 41 will die from the disease. While a serious disease, most men with prostate cancer can continue to thrive with appropriate surgical treatment and monitoring for recurrence. As of January 2022, it is estimated there are 3.5 million living prostate cancer survivors in the US. A large majority of living prostate cancer survivors share 3 common symptoms: urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction and pelvic pain. These symptoms greatly impact quality of life. Let’s discuss more on the cause of these symptoms and the benefits of seeing a Pelvic Physical Therapist.
What are the common symptoms after prostatectomy?
Common symptoms resulting after surgery:
· Urinary incontinence
· Erectile dysfunction & Sexuality issues
· Pelvic pain
Many men deal with continued incontinence and/or pelvic pain after prostate surgery. About 60% of men experience urinary incontinence at 6 weeks post-surgery and an estimated 40% still experience some type of incontinence at 1 year after surgery. Urinary incontinence often takes the form of leaking with activity or cough/laugh/sneezing, a weak stream or post-void dribble, or difficulty controlling urge sensations. Like other surgical procedures involving the abdomen or pelvis, there is inflammation and trauma to the area and scar tissue that can create residual pelvic pain from adhesion of the scar tissue to underlying structures and connective tissues.
What’s the impact on sexual function?
There will also be changes to your erectile and sexual function including likely loss of fertility and changes in orgasm due to removal of the prostate gland and disruption of the vas deferens. Expectations for return of erectile function can vary greatly depending on the person and surgical procedure and may take as long as 18-24 months to recover with radical prostatectomy.
Tell me more about pelvic pain…
Medical literature estimates that up to 1 in 6 US men are affected by chronic pelvic pain. Historically thought to be caused by prostatitis, inflammation of the prostate by an infection, this is the most common urologic diagnosis of men under the age of 50. While this condition can cause pelvic pain, we now know that male pelvic pain is often due to causes other than the prostate such as issues related to impairments in the muscle, nerves, and connective tissue within and around the pelvic region.
Common symptoms of male pelvic pain can include:
sexual dysfunction
genital or pelvic pain
numbness/burning/tingling along penis, testicles or groin
pain with sitting or exercise
bowel and urinary dysfunction.
How can pelvic PT help?
With pelvic PT there are treatment options to address weakness or increased tone and to help release muscle and tissue restrictions, provide education on appropriate self-management, and help patients reduce the stress of chronic discomfort from pain or urinary leakage. Whether dealing with recovery from prostatectomy or dealing with pain, our focus is helping you understand what is going on and then providing you with the appropriate tools and treatment to help address your concerns and meet your goals. We believe in hands-on manual therapy and appropriate exercises to provide a whole-body approach and to empower you with the tools that you need to get back to living your life!
At Women in Motion we treat all genders through all phases of life. Our pelvic health specialists have taken speciality courses to specifically treat male pelvic health.
For the men in your life that may be living this experience please share our blog and resources! 1 in 4 humans is silently suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction, let us support your journey towards healing and lasting pain relief.
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