Prostate Surgery Recovery and Common Side Effects

Featuring Becky Kerfoot

Duration: 2 minutes, 38 seconds

There are two issues specific to men.

One is incontinence related to prostate surgery and the other is a condition called chronic pelvic pain syndrome or as its commonly known prostatitis.

After prostate surgery it's very common for men to experience incontinence. They may have leakage of urine with coughing, sneezing and physical activity. This is due to the weakness of the pelvic floor muscles after surgery and it is very troubling for people, because it's something that they've not experienced until that point.

Okay, this is the pelvis, just to orient you, the belly button is slightly above this bone and the tailbone is back here, and the hip joints are on either side of the pelvis. The pelvic floor muscles, which impact urine leakage and incontinence, as well as chronic pelvic pain syndrome, line the opeining, the bottom of the pelvis.

So they are very important for bladder control and for bowel control. They also contribute to the pain of chronic pelvic pain syndrome, which can cause pain in the front of the pelvis or the pubic symphisis, underneath the pelvis on the ischial tuberosity and behind the pelvis at the tailbone.

The treatments that physiotherapists will use to help people with prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome include pelvic floor retraining, which includes strengthening and relaxation of those muscles, as well as biofeedback and electrical stimulation.

If men are experiencing urine leakage after prostate surgery, it's important to see a physiotherapist at any time to asses the pelvic floor muscles and optimize their strength to help prevent the incontinence or urine leakage.

If men are experiencing pain in their area of the buttocks, the genital area or the low back, it may be caused by prostatitis or chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and it's very important to rule out a bacterial infection.

So if you have a fever or if you have a bladder infection you'll need to seek medical help for that, but if the pain persists and there's no pain or bladder infection then you need to have a pelvic floor assessment by a physiotherapist and see if those muscles are contributing to chronic pelvic pain.

You might visit a physiotherapist for information on what is, conditions, side effects, symptoms and treatments related to pelvic floor assessments, incontinence after prostate cancer surgery, and treatment for chronic pelvic pain syndrome (prostatitis).

Presenter: Ms. Becky Kerfoot, Physiotherapist, Vancouver, BC

Local Practitioners: Physiotherapist