pelvic health resources for men

Pelvic Health Resources for Men

Happy Father’s Day!  This post is a new collection of my favorite Pelvic Health Resources for men.

Men’s health and wellbeing is important. Please do share this blogpost, not just with the fathers – uncles, brothers, nephews & friends will appreciate you thinking of them too.

Pelvic Health Resources for Men

# Pelvic Floor Exercises

Research shows that problems like: 

  • urinary frequency
  • post-void dribble
  • urgency (strong desire at the wrong time!)
  • flatulance or bowel leaks
  • getting up at night to wee
  • small bladder leaks
  • or erectile dysfunction

all respond really well to improving pelvic floor muscle strength, endurance and control.  

Download and/or print this FREE booklet from my professional organisation.  Clear pictures and instructions on the best technique.

There is also a dedicated section about Men’s Health and audio guided pelvic floor exercise sequence.

Squeezy for Men is an education and reminder App (IOS or Android £2.99)

Squeezy has been designed by chartered physiotherapists specialising in Men’s Health working in the NHS. It is suitable for all men who want to do pelvic floor muscle exercises (also known as Kegel exercises). It is simple to use, discreet & informative. The visual and audio prompts help improve your technique & timing. And it records your practice sessions.

# Bladder & Bowel Health

Sometimes it’s just “operator” error or innocence.  Who teaches us what a bladder does or doesn’t like, or how to sit on a toilet to get the best bowel opening?  Never too late to learn!

a glass how much should you drink in a day

Do you know how much you should drink in a day (like really know, not just guess)??  Have you ever actually counted your fluid in and out??  A bit of tweaking to avoid droughts & floods, and avoid irritating the bladder lining can be life-changing.  Read more here.

baby sitting on potty 3 Ps of a perfect poo

Keeping the bowel moving well keeps pressure off your pelvic organs, lifts your mood and helps concentration.

There are 3 Ps which you should keep in mind during your ablutions. Are you or family doing any naturally?? How do you sit? Do some people in your family take a LONG time in the toilet? Who reads the paper? Should you keep books in the loo? 

Watch my lighthearted talk about good bowel habits (for a public speaking competition).  Reveals the simple secrets of how to have The Best Morning Action.

# The importance of stretching & healthy postures

You’ve heard of “tight” hamstrings or calves?  Pelvic floor muscles and other muscles that attach to the pelvis (inner thighs, gluts, lats) can also get too tight, restricting your pelvic movement and causing irritation to nerves.  Sciatic nerve irritation gives classic leg pain, pudendal nerve irritation can cause testicular or perineal pain.

Men’s Health physiotherapist Bill Taylor shows how to use a spiky ball to release the inner thighs.  Other good pelvic floor awareness & release videos on his YouTube channel.
Tony Riddle promotes Offsetting – how to work from the floor, or anywhere other than a traditional seat.  Recommend his YouTube snippets & the trailer of his Vimeo course  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/chairsittingoffsetting/407898301

# Core Exercise is Not Just for Girls

Both Yoga and Pilates were originated by and for men.  Joseph Pilates first taught his exercises to German compatriots interned on the Isle of Wight during WW2.    Pants and pony tails are optional. 

Plenty of men attend Pilates classes to get the benefit of a weekly supervised stretch, strengthen and mindful movement session. Do email if you’d like to try a real class (in Cambridge area) or virtual class (Saturday mornings) or subscribe to our online PhysioPilates Library.

Not sure if it would suit you? Have a go at home first. Find lots of short sequences for everyone on our PhysioPilates Academy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC07NzCSJa6n806A530-iQZA

If you have any worries that your pelvic floor is not quite what it should be, niggly injuries that won’t resolve or would like a general “MOT” of your situation, get your technique checked before you do too much more DIY.


# Specialist Physiotherapy Assessement

There is so much a specialist pelvic floor physiotherapist can teach you to improve internal muscle strength, endurance & co-ordination. They will also check your posture, core control & consider how previous injuries, surgeries or events may impact on your pelvic health.

 Through post-graduate training, we have the skills to properly assess and examine the pelvic floor muscles with an external or rectal examination.  We do this in a discreet and gentle way, putting you as much at ease as we can.

We aim to help you understand how your body works.  With a better understanding of your muscles’ strength, weakness or tension problems, your exercises will make sense & be motivating. We can show you how to help them to grow stronger or release & stretch.

Do you need MORE SUPPORT?

Ask your GP to refer you to the local NHS services (if you are Cambridge-based you can self-refer). Or do come to see me at my practice South Cambridge Physiotherapy or arrange a virtual appointment.  

Not near Cambridge? I believe finding a local physio is best for your longer term support. My professional body POGP and Squeezy app have national directories of physios who specialise in Men’s Health.

I hope you found this collection of pelvic health resources for men helpful. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a personal question.