Male Pelvic Pain and Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy: What Men Need to Know

True or False? Male pelvic pain is always associated with the prostate. FALSE. While the prostate can be associated with pelvic floor symptoms at times, it is generally not the primary cause especially for pelvic pain. Approximately 2-16% of men may experience pelvic pain. Pelvic pain may also impact bladder, bowel, and sexual function. It can create disturbance in sleep, concentration, energy as well as psychological distress such as depression and anxiety. Pelvic pain in men can be described as, but not limited to, pain in the penile, testicular, scrotal, groin, and perineal regions.

While there are medications, procedures, and injections that may help with diminishing or resolving pelvic pain… if we do not find what is causing the pelvic pain then it may return or continue to persist. So what drives pelvic pain in the male population? It is important to discern what drives the pelvic pain in order to treat it appropriately. Below are the 4 drivers that are common to cause pelvic pain.

There are 4 primary drivers of pelvic pain.

• Spine: pain referred form the spine may present as pain that occurs with prolonged positions like sitting and/or standing as well as repetitive movements. This is the most common cause and can quickly resolve pelvic pain if addressed.
• Pelvic floor: pain referred from the pelvic floor muscles and may be triggered with any loading.
• Neuro: pain that is associated with the central or peripheral nervous system.
• Tissue: pain referred from damage to tissues related to trauma like surgeries, accidents, etc.

So how does a pelvic floor physical therapy treat each driver?

• Spine: determining the directional preference of the spine and where we need more movement. A pelvic floor physical therapist can direct which movement exercises to perform at home to gain more mobility in the spine.
• Pelvic floor: releasing and learning on proper loading strategies of the pelvic floor and other surrounding muscle structures of the pelvic girdle.
• Neuro: focusing on education for desensitization of the nervous system such as individualized breathing exercises. Tissue: providing manual therapy to breakdown any restrictive muscles or scar tissue.

Pelvic pain in general impacts quality of life. Many men do not feel they have any support or options on receiving treatment for their symptoms. Pelvic floor physical therapy is a conservative treatment option to address and improve pelvic pain in men. At Pelvic Symphony PT, we are specialized to address and provide individualized treatment of pelvic floor function in men.