Is It Chronic Prostatitis or Is It Pelvic Floor Syndrome?

This one is for the men.

Many men who have pelvic pain, prostate or urinary symptoms are told by their doctors it is chronic prostatitis. Then they are usually sent to a urologist for testing. This is good. Medical conditions should always be ruled out first.

But, what if all the tests come back normal? Then what?

Often, men are still given antibiotics to treat their symptoms, even though the tests show no infection. I think this happens because doctor's don't know what else to do.

If there is an infection it absolutely should be treated medically and often with antibiotics, but taking antibiotics without having an infection isn't good or necessary.

So, what is the alternative?

If there is no infection, but still prostate/pelvic or urinary pain then the pain may actually be coming from tight pelvic floor muscles rather than from something internally.

Tight pelvic floor muscles can mimic urinary or prostate pain. We don't have very precise sensation in this area of our body and normally everything just works, so when there is pain sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint where it is coming from.

Tight pelvic floor muscles can press on the bladder, prostate or nerves in the region and feel like burning when you pee or pulling on the penis or testicles or pressure on the prostate. I've also heard it described as it feels like one is sitting on a ball that is inside the pelvis.

Pelvic floor therapy can treat this without medication or surgery!

Also, please don't do kegels. Kegels strengthen and tighten the pelvic floor muscles and if they are already too tight and pressing on things around them, we don't need to make them tighter.

We often need to work on the opposite in pelvic floor therapy. Men need to learn to relax the pelvic floor muscles. This may include stretches, deep breathing exercises and the PT working directly on the muscles to help them loosen and relax.

Men, if you have prostate/pelvic/bladder pain and you have been tested for infections but there are no infections, pelvic floor therapy may be the answer for you.

In person therapy is the best, but if there is no one near you, virtual therapy sessions are an option. No, we won't look at any pelvis' or penis' on video chat, but we can discuss symptoms, strategies and stretches online.

You can schedule in person or online with me here.

If you don't live in Southern California you can check out this previous blog on how to find someone near you.

Here is a review from one of my male pelvic floor patients who had gone through many doctors and testing and rounds of antibiotics with no relief:

"Carri has helped me so much in the last 6 weeks.

I had non bacterial prostatitis (CPPS) for over a year.

My GP referred me to an Urologist and after all the test came back negative for any infection I was simply told I needed to do some stretches. The pain and constant discomfort was leading me down a dark path with thoughts of suicide. When I didn't find help with my GP and Urologist I turned to the internet and found a lot of information about the pelvic floor and the muscles that where causing the systems of bacterial prostatitis. But with no infection, the doctors had no solution (I had taken 3 rounds of strong antibiotics to no avail). One of the videos spoke about finding a physio therapist that specialized in the pelvic floor. So I looked online for Long Beach and found Carri.

All I can say is if you have this, go see her. She has cured it in 7 weeks when no doctor could for over a year. You do not have to live with this pain when the medical field have turned their back to it.

Carri is super easy to work with, very knowledgeable about her specialized area of practice and week after week it just got better and better.

I am smiling again thanks to Carri. I can not thank her enough."