Kegel exercises for men
Men are not always aware that they have a pelvic floor. Once and for all: men and women do have one. And men and women can have health problems such as incontinence due to their pelvic floor muscles. But we have good news: these daily issues are not irremediable (in most cases) and can be solved quickly. For that reason, you must talk about it! This is how you will find out where the problem comes from. There are good chances that it is linked to your pelvic floor! You will just have to find an efficient solution. So yes, gentlemen, pelvic floor Kegel exercises for men are also important.
Where is the pelvic floor in men?
Men are often surprised when we tell them that they also have a pelvic floor. But these unknown muscles have a real impact. The pelvic floor muscles stretch like a hammock from the tailbone at the back, to the pubic bone in front. The pelvic floor ensures the proper closure of the anus and urethra, so they help you to control your bladder and bowel. Besides, the pelvic floor fulfills an important sexual function in men. Indeed, a strong pelvic floor allows one to limit premature ejaculation and to maintain an erection. The training is essential.
If you want to become aware of your pelvic floor, try to stop your urine when you are urinating. There you go, you just muscled your pelvic floor. It is a good way to find out how to contract your pelvic floor muscles, but you shouldn’t try to stop and start your stream too often. If not you may risk that your bladder does not empty the way it should.
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What causes a weak pelvic floor?
Age
Yes, age has an effect on the pelvic floor (like on all tissues). From the age of 40/50 onward, wrinkles appear, tissues relax as well as your muscles. If the little belly appears, it is partly due to this release (but not only! Don’t blame your pelvic floor muscle release for everything!).
So, after quarantine, we take care of ourselves we think of contracting our pelvic floor in prevention. Doing Kegel exercises for men will allow you to prevent future inconveniences.
Diseases of the genital area (bladder, rectum, prostate)
Colorectal cancer that has been operated on or is still there often causes problems linked to the pelvic floor. Treatments for these types of cancer, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are often aggravating factors. It can lead to anal incontinence (gas) or fecal (excrement) or urinary incontinence. Once again, these symptoms can be treated and you should talk about them with your healthcare professional.
The impact of certain types of sports
Even if doing sports is recommended to stay healthy, some hyper pressure sports such as weightlifting or judo can damage the pelvic floor. Another sport that can cause pelvic floor issues in men: bicycling! Indeed, this sport can predispose to various disorders such as irritation, inflammation, difficulties urinating, and sometimes even erectile dysfunction. Even if this sport is performed without heavy pressure, it engages the pelvic floor thus it is exposed to repeated pressure that can finally cause urinary, anal, or fecal leakage
Constipation
Constipation is certainly the first cause of a weakened pelvic floor. If you have to try several times to have a bowel movement, the male pelvic floor muscles become considerably more fragile. In the long term, this can create little lesions. It is very important to be aware of these types of symptoms that can be quickly treated.
Weight gain
Gentlemen, even if the small round belly can be cute, beware of a quick weight gain! If we now can link obesity and incontinence, your pelvic floor can also be damaged by simply being overweight. Indeed, the extra-weight will press on your pelvic floor muscles and it will solicit your pelvic floor even more.
What are signs of pelvic floor dysfunction in men?
Reasons for pelvic floor dysfunction in men are various. They are often linked to prostate surgery.
This surgery, yet common and precise, can damage the pelvic floor muscles. Consequences are often urinary or fecal incontinence or even erectile dysfunction. However, these pelvic floor dysfunctions can also appear in men having no prostate issues.
Anal and fecal incontinence
These two types of incontinence concern more than 1 million people in France. Like urinary incontinence, these symptoms can be treated quickly. Anal incontinence, which concerns 11% of adults, is defined by unintentional emission of gases, liquid, and solid feces. Whereas fecal incontinence, which concerns 5% of French, doesn’t include gas emission. These symptoms are very troublesome but they can be solved within a few weeks. So, gentlemen, talk about it and make an appointment with your doctor.
Premature ejaculation
Premature ejaculation is not irremediable. Now, we can say out loud that Kegel exercises can solve this issue that concerns 1 out of 3 men in France. Premature ejaculation occurs when men can’t control ejaculation during a long period. Of course, a high excitation or a period of stress can cause occasional premature ejaculations. You need to be able to identify the cause and do not worry because there are solutions to solve this problem.
Ejaculation can be primary or secondary. It is primary when the premature ejaculation is constant and appears at each intercourse. Secondary Premature Ejaculation can occur because of an erectile or neurological disorder. It may be due to a psychological problem or even an underlying disease.
Erectile dysfunction
Like premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction in men may be due to a period of stress, fatigue, or various concerns. In this case, it is a phase and there is nothing to worry about. Just be vigilant. Of course, if the problem persists, do not hesitate to consult a doctor. The sooner we talk about it, the sooner the problem is solved. Erection-related problems mostly appear around the age of 50 or 60. Don’t panic, you just have to train your pelvic floor which will then be able to act on the erection. Pleasure and orgasm will therefore be improved.
Sometimes the doctor may prescribe sex active drugs together with pelvic floor training. Once everything is put back in order, the drugs are removed and all you have to do is to continue to do your Kegel exercises regularly to maintain the strength of your pelvic floor acquired during pelvic floor therapy.
How to solve these pelvic floor issues?
Make an appointment with a healthcare professional
The first person with whom you should talk about your pelvic floor is your doctor. He will be able to determine the causes of your pelvic floor tone loss and then tell you the next steps to follow. In most cases, he should prescribe you pelvic floor therapy sessions that you could do with a physical therapist for example. He will probably tell you to do Kegel exercises which you will be able to do at home.
Kegel exercises for men
Kegel exercises are extremely simple to do. Generally, you don’t need too much time to understand how to contract correctly your pelvic floor. Afterwards, you will be able to do your exercises while waiting at a traffic light, when you are brushing your tooth, in the shower…
But first of all, you must become aware of your pelvic floor. For the first training, you can lay down to do your exercises, bend your knees, and put a pillow under your head. Take your time to contract your pelvic floor muscles.
Emy app – medical Kegel exercises
Now that you are an expert in pelvic floor control, just one more step: download our mobile app Emy. This app is free and allows you to do Kegel exercises easily. You adjust your reminders, do simple and funny exercises that will allow you to stay motivated in your pelvic floor training.
