As men age, it’s common for their prostate, a reproductive gland surrounding the urethra, to increase in size. By the age of 60, approximately half of men have enlarged prostates. By the time they reach 85, a full 95 percent of men experience an enlarged prostate, according to MayoClinic.com. Symptoms include frequent or slow urination, difficulty emptying the bladder and ongoing urinary tract infections. Your health-care provider may recommend surgery if dietary changes and medication don’t help.
Pelvic Floor
Your pelvic floor is the multi-layered hammock of muscles stretching from your tailbone to your pubic bone at the base of your abdominal cavity. These muscles support your lower internal organs, including your bladder and bowel. They also lift and control the muscles responsible for closing your urethra — the tube through which you discharge urine. Prostate surgeries, especially a radical prostatectomy, can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, causing bladder or bowel incontinence, or dribbling after urination. Other causes of weak pelvic floor muscles include being overweight or unfit, a chronic cough, constipation-related straining, continual heavy lifting and conditions such as diabetes.
Identification
The simplest way to identify your pelvic floor muscles is to briefly stop the flow of urine while going to the bathroom. Contract the muscles to hold it, and relax them to allow it to flow. You should see the base of your penis move slightly upward as you contract. Don’t make a habit of stopping your urine, however, as it can lead to a urinary tract infection. If you’re not sure you’ve got the right muscles, try a different method. Lie down after emptying your bladder and bowels. Insert a finger into your rectum. Contract the muscles that you would use to stop the flow of urine or prevent yourself from passing gas. You should feel your muscles tighten.
Kegel Exercises
Regular practice of pelvic floor exercises, or Kegels, can strengthen and tone your muscles over time. Once you’ve identified the correct muscles, the exercise itself is the same for men as it is for women. With an empty bladder, lie down or sit comfortably. Contract your pelvic floor muscles for three or four counts, followed by a rest of the same count. Breathe freely through each contraction, and keep your abdominal and gluteal muscles completely relaxed. As you develop pelvic floor strength, you’ll be able to hold the contractions longer — ideally, for 10 counts. Perform three, 10-repetition sets throughout the day.
Considerations
After you’ve been practicing Kegels for a couple of weeks, incorporate them into other moments of your day. For example, if you usually experience leakage when laughing, sneezing or coughing, contract your pelvic floor muscles to try to prevent it. You should perform other single contractions when sitting up from a horizontal position, standing up from a seated position or during heavy lifting, according to the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Don’t try to speed your progress along by increasing the number or frequency of your daily Kegel exercises, however. Overexerting your pelvic floor muscles can fatigue them, worsening your incontinence.
References
- Medline Plus: Transurethral Resection of the Prostate; February 2011
- Medline Plus: Kegel Exercises; February 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Kegel Exercises for Men: Understand the Benefits; November 2010
- MayoClinic.com: Enlarged Prostate: Does Diet Play a Role?; January 2010
- The Ohio State University Medical Center; Kegel or Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercises for Men; August 2009
- Prostate Cancer Institute: Pelvic Floor Exercises for Men
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