Men's Health Physio FAQs

What is men's health physiotherapy?

Men’s health physiotherapy is a specialty within the physiotherapy profession concerned with male pelvic anatomy and physiology. Men’s health physiotherapists undertake further training in the area of assessing and treating men’s health problems including bladder & bowel incontinence, erectile problems and optimising outcomes pre/post prostate cancer surgery.

Why is it important to see a men's health physiotherapist?

Dealing with conditions such as those listed above can be very challenging and can have a significant impact on our psychological well being. It is common to feel self-conscious and embarrassed about these issues, leading to avoidance of social activities & our interactions with the world.

Men notoriously avoid seeking healthcare advice. A recent Australian study concluded that 61% of us aged 18-55 years do not see our GP at least once per year. This is believed to be due to social norms and threats to our masculine ideals (where rejecting healthcare can add to our masculine identity). This, however, can be harmful and have negative effects on our health.

How can a men's health physiotherapy help me?

• Improving your pelvic floor muscle control/strength: A physiotherapist can help guide you through retaining a group of muscles called your pelvic floor. This group of muscles are strongly involved in helping aid with urinary and faecal incontinence and can be impacted by prostate surgeries. Learn more about the pelvic floor here.
• Providing education around bladder habits: Poor habits with your bladder can cause strong urges to urinate (without an actual need to empty your bladder), frequent urination and urge incontinence. This is due to a change in the way the brain and the bladder communicate which can develop for multiple reasons. Learn more about this here. 
• Support through prostate cancer treatment and improving post-op outcomes: Physiotherapy intervention is important pre & post prostate cancer surgery to help regain urinary & sexual function to their greatest potential. This often involves pelvic floor muscle training for restoring continence and erectile function, education around lifestyle modification which can positively impact outcomes post operatively. Learn more about prostate cancer here.

Providing education and exercises to help understand and manage your chronic pelvic pain: A physiotherapist can work with you to help you gain a good understanding around the causes of your pelvic pain, aim to learn how it is impacting your life and work as a part of a multi-disciplinary team to help you manage it.

How can we help at Sycamore Health?

At Sycamore Health, we can help you treat and manage your pelvic condition. We will listen to your story and find out how your condition is affecting your life and other factors which may impact your recovery. Everyone is different & will require a different treatment approach dependent on each individual and their circumstances - we will make sure you are listened to as an individual and can tailor an intervention to suit you. We will ask questions to help us determine exactly what is going on and have access to real time ultrasound which can be used to assess your strength, endurance and control of your pelvic floor muscles. From there we will work with you to devise a treatment plan to help you get on top of your health.

Make an enquiry with our lovely reception staff on (07) 2102 3855, or email info@sycamorehealth.com.au. Otherwise, if you're ready to book, book online here.

If you need help with any of this, we would love to help you out!