Kegel exercises are a practical approach for men who have recently undergone any prostate treatment.
They can help to get your pelvic floor muscles back on track, which is a key factor in controlling urine flow.
The pelvic floor is an active component in normal erectile function and urination. When these floor muscles become weak, men experience a wide range of problems.
Prostate diseases like prostatitis (inflammation), non-cancerous enlargement (BPH), and prostate cancer can all wreak havoc on your prostate health and pelvic floor muscles.
When your pelvic health needs a good boost, then doctors can suggest doing a specific pelvic exercise. It’s important for men with prostate problems to restore pelvic floor strength and do the proper pelvic floor muscle training. That’s where any kegel exercise can prove useful. Here is a more detailed look at the benefits of kegel exercises men can expect.
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Pelvic Floor Strengthening and Rehabilitation
As men grow older, their pelvic floor muscle gets weaker. But, when male patients have surgery or other forms of prostate cancer treatment, then they are far more likely to experience feces and urine problems. For instance, after a simple open prostatectomy, the incontinence rate varies from 1% to 8.4%.
With prostate cancer, these rates are much higher. Research shows that radiation therapy has a detrimental impact on both the function and structure of the pelvic floor muscles. It can lead to muscle damage and dysfunction. This is why many experts recommend adequate rehabilitation and pelvic floor exercise.
Pelvic floor rehab is a program led by a physiotherapist. The goal is to use exercise to work with each muscle in the affected area. Patients are taught various techniques that strengthen the weak pelvic floor. Each exercise is very effective at stimulating the muscle.
The key to the benefits of kegel exercises for men is their ability to clench and release the muscles. When you tense a muscle, you keep it from passing gas and urine. Every exercise offers reliable methods to work with this weakened pelvic floor area.
Adequate Restrain for Urinary Incontinence
After having the prostate surgically treated, men often need exercise for their weak pelvic floor muscles. Studies show that training the kegel muscles can offer instrumental advantages in a range of medical issues.
These include:
A 2021 clinical trial also supports these results. Many patients were evaluated to study the impact of kegel workouts on the floor muscles. The goal was to see whether they could prevent urinary and fecal incontinence in patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma.
At the end of the intervention, there was a drastic improvement in those who practiced regular pelvic floor muscle exercise. Patients experienced better bowel movements and control of their pelvic floor. They also had less diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue.
Another report indicates a similar impact. Performing kegel workouts right after a radical prostatectomy helped restore continence. But, patients need to concentrate and consistently pay attention to their contractions.
Men can rely on the strengthened pelvic muscle to mitigate urinary leakage. Therefore, kegel workouts can be a recommended approach in preventing incontinence.
Train the Bladder to Empty Completely
Kegel training is often custom-made. The holding time duration, number of contractions, and sets will vary from person to person. With a fast contraction, men will rapidly tighten and relax their pelvic floor muscles.
Whereas, with a slow contraction, they will hold the contracted muscle for an extended period and then relax. Fast floor muscle contractions are meant to train these muscles to adapt to a heightened intra-abdominal pressure. Like, when you laugh, cough, or sneeze.
While the slow contractions are best tailored towards strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Now, the floor muscles are what support the bladder. With urinary retention, the bladder has trouble emptying completely.
Kegels are here to navigate these blockages. Adequate practice can help you reestablish that bowel and bladder control. But, only a certified health expert can suggest the best kegel movement for your bladder or bowel problems. So, make sure to talk to a specialist about pelvic floor muscles first.
Effective in Addressing Erectile Dysfunction
Kegel exercises are a feasible first-line approach for restoring sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction. To study the impact of pelvic floor exercises, experts recruited 55 men who’ve struggled with erectile dysfunction for quite some time.
The men were divided into different groups. They were treated with either biofeedback, lifestyle changes, and pelvic floor training (intervention group), or had to only change their lifestyle (control group). In 3 months, the intervention group noticed a drastic improvement compared to the control group.
The control group received the same intervention later and also noticed a solid improvement in sexual health. In 6 months, 40% of patients regained their normal erectile function. About 35.5% managed to improve, but 24.5% didn’t.
This suggests that kegel exercises can be a viable approach for the pelvic organs in managing erectile dysfunction. These exercises may also come in handy for premature ejaculation.
When dealing with this kind of sexual dysfunction and ejaculation problem, it’s important to strengthen the bulbocavernosus and ischiocavernosus muscles. They are active during an erection.
Since these exercises work with this particular area, they could prove beneficial for men with premature ejaculation. Their effectiveness on premature ejaculation and other ejaculation problems can be seen over a period of time.
Some people notice that Kegels take their sex life to the next level. This is mainly because the stronger pelvic floor muscles are easier to contract when having an orgasm. These physical activities stimulate circulation to the pelvic floor muscles and can be useful with multiple orgasms.
Greater Quality of Life After Prostatectomy
After prostatectomy, incontinence can dramatically impair your quality of life. Although the postoperative incontinence rate is 1% in people who had prostatectomy for benign health issues, 2% to 66% have been recorded after radical prostatectomy.
Kegel exercises can help. They can improve your quality of life and help your pelvic floor get back to normal.
Conclusion
Kegel exercises are a predominant factor when working with the pelvic muscle. They offer a range of benefits for the pelvic floor.
With the right muscle training, you can keep ejaculation, urine, and bowel troubles in check. If you have problems with your pelvic floor muscles, talk to a specialist.
