We always talk about women’s health, and men’s health gets overlooked. But men’s health, especially pelvic floor health, tends to get overlooked. There is one link in men’s sexual health that is often ignored: the connection between the pelvic floor and erectile dysfunction (ED).
A man’s health physiotherapist and researcher, Dr Jo Milios, once stated, “Often men don’t even know they have a pelvic floor until something goes wrong and they have an urgent need to upskill quickly”.
If there is someone dealing with pelvic floor pain and tightness, knowing everything about it can make a difference and help men lead a happy life. Find this guide by your side, and let’s explore how pelvic floor muscles impact male sexual function and how they can be improved. In addition, we will even suggest to you the 2 most common exercises for magical results.
An Introduction to Male Pelvic Floor
No matter whether you are a boy or a girl, we all have a pelvic floor. The pelvic floor is nothing complicated, but a group of muscles that starts stretching from the pubic bone (found at the front of your pelvis) to the tailbone (at the back).
In addition, it even stretches from one side of the sitting bone to another. The pelvic floor overall supports bladder, bowel, and sexual function. When functioning properly, these muscles don’t interrupt, while a weak or tight pelvic muscle can pose a variety of issues. It can be anything from incontinence to erectile dysfunction.
Link Between Pelvic Floor Health and ED
The pelvic floor muscles help men maintain an erection by prohibiting the outflow of blood from their reproductive organs. To put it simply, when a man arouses, the brain sends a signal or message to the blood vessels present in the penis. However, this allows more blood to flow in.
Once that is done, this further fills up two tubes of spongy tissue. As a result, the veins that run through the outer sheath of the penis get compressed. This contributes to the main cause of blood stoppage from leaving the penis. Ultimately, this whole cycle causes an erection.
Do You Know? 🤔:
In a recent study, it was found that there is a growing frequency of erectile dysfunction in young men, especially those younger than 40 years of age.
Now, limitations of any kind can lead to erectile dysfunction. For instance, if the pelvic muscle is too weak, it can’t properly control the blood flow. If it is too tight, it causes chronic pelvic floor pain & tightness.
How Do Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
The male pelvic floor muscles are considered a lower risk factor for erectile dysfunction. This isn’t true. When the pelvic floor becomes weak, it is more prone to become painful, overactive, and develop issues affecting muscle coordination.
Now the question arises, what causes the pelvic floor muscles to weaken? There are various reasons behind it. For example, it could be due to constipation, surgery, persistent heavy lifting, overweight, long-term coughing, high-impact exercise, and ageing.
Below, we’ve stated how it affects erectile dysfunction in several ways:
➔ A decreased blood retention in the penis during erection.
➔ Poor control over ejaculation.
➔ Lower stamina and performance anxiety.
➔ Nerve compression due to tight or imbalanced muscles.
Common Symptoms of Weak Pelvic Floor Muscles in Men
Are you wondering if you have a weak pelvic floor or not? You are not alone; many have been feeling the same. Besides the common symptom, i.e, “erectile dysfunction”, there are some more symptoms of having weaker pelvic floor muscles, including:
➔ Dribbling after urination during activities like running, jumping, or sneezing.
➔ Frequent urge to urinate.
➔ Pain in the lower back, groin, or perineum.
➔ A heavy or tight feeling in the pelvic area.
➔ Leaking stool.
➔ Incomplete emptying of the bladder.
Dr Milios suggests men stand naked in front of a mirror to start noticing their penis retracting and testes rising. Make sure to do this without bracing the abdominals. In case you don’t see a different ‘squeeze and lift’, then consider seeing a man’s health physiotherapist in Madhu Vihar.
Male Pelvic Floor Assessment
The frequency of research on men’s health, especially pelvic health, is increasing day by day. As a result, men’s health physiotherapy is expanding and becoming a speciality area of practice.
However, with assessment tools in men’s health physiotherapy, a therapist can track changes over time. Many clinics these days provide private, respectful, and well-designed assessment facilities to determine the root cause.
What to expect during an appointment? There are too many things you can expect upon your visit to a man’s physiotherapist in Mayur Vihar. For instance:
➔ Body alignment and core stability checks.
➔ Manual and specialized evaluation of pelvic alignment and muscle tone.
➔ Detailed internal or external muscle testing (only when needed).
➔ An analysis of the patient’s breathing and coordination abilities.
➔ A thorough discussion of symptoms, lifestyle, and habits with an expert.
Based on the results, a doctor further suggests a personalized treatment plan to restore the balance and proper functioning of pelvic floor muscles.
Top 2 Exercises For a Weak Pelvic Floor
Here are two highly effective, physiotherapist-recommended exercises to get started with when you have pelvic floor pain & tightness:
Kegel Exercises for Men
Start by squeezing and drawing in the muscles of the urethra and anus simultaneously, and keep breathing. Then, hold the muscles tight for about 3–5 seconds. This is done to train the low-twitch ‘endurance’ fibres that cause erection. While doing it, a person may feel a tightening and lifting. Plus, one may feel as if they are letting the muscles go when they relax them.
Repeating this exercise 10 times and 3 times a day trains the fast-twitch pelvic floor muscle fibres.
Bridge with Pelvic Floor Engagement
To do a bridge pose, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Then, place the arms at the side with palms facing down. At this point, take a deep breath and start lifting the hip in an upward direction. Do not forget to engage the pelvic floor muscles. You need to hold this position for 10–15 seconds while maintaining steady breathing. After that, slowly lower the hips down to the floor.
Doing 15 repetitions for 2 times a day will show effective results.
Stretching Exercises
Now, there is a variety of stretches a man can perform to relax their pelvic floor. Here, we are going to explain how to perform the Supine Groin Stretch or Reclined Bound Angle Pose.
For this, lie flat on your back with the frog leg stretch. Make sure the soles of the feet comfortably remain close to the bottom. After that, you have to take a breath into your belly. At this point, hold this stretch for 30–90 seconds. Lastly, take 5 seconds to breathe in and then 5 seconds to breathe out.
Repeating this at least 10 times in one go will show excellent results.
The Wrap Up
Discussing men’s health may seem taboo, but actually, only men know what they suffer from in silence. Women’s health has been discussed publicly with pride and awareness; however, we take charge of discussing men’s sexual well-being and other sensitive subjects.
Erectile dysfunction doesn’t always require pills or invasive treatments; a simple modification or periodic manual evaluation (as suggested by Dr Milios) can make a change, for good.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of pelvic floor pain & tightness or struggling with ED, do not panic. We recommend getting a detailed examination from specialists, like one in Mayur Vihar. They will offer you a thoroughly personalized and evidence-based care to let you regain control and confidence.
Till then, don’t ignore the signs.
