Are you worried about losing your bladder control after prostate surgery? Unfortunately up to 80% of men suffer from bladder leakage after their surgery and this problem can last longer than 12 months. The good news is that the exercises I’m about to show you can help you quickly overcome this problem if it occurs after your operation. Hi, I’m Michelle, and today I’m guiding you through scientifically proven pelvic floor muscle training to help you prepare and recover your bladder control fast after radical prostatectomy. Please feel welcome to let me know in the comments below if you have questions or comments about this training.
Recent research has shown that the exercises I’m about to guide you through work much faster than traditional pelvic floor training after prostate surgery. Until recently post-op training for men has used techniques and prescriptions based on exercises for bladder leakage in women. This current research found that the men who used a new pelvic floor training regime designed for men not women regained their bladder control significantly faster than men who did traditional pelvic floor training. Today I’m going to share this new training method to help you stop bladder leakage fast regardless of the type of prostatectomy surgery you have.
We’re going to cover when to start preparing, the best training positions, the most effective exercise technique, how many exercises to do before and after Surgery.
Then at the end of this video, I’ll guide you through some quick and helpful tips to make your bladder control training most effective. According to the research, try to start your preparation exercises 5 weeks prior to your surgery if you can. But I’ll add to this that even if you only have a week or two before your operation it’s worth starting these exercises now while you can feel your pelvic floor muscles working rather than waiting until after your operation when the exercises are more difficult to feel.
When you start training you’ll be doing three sets or groups of exercises throughout the day. Do your training in each of the following three positions if you’re able to – one set lying down, one set sitting, one set standing upright.
If you can’t do your exercises sitting or standing, start with lying down and progress your training as your strength and control improve. Let’s now discuss the best pelvic floor exercise technique to use as this is vital for your success.
If you want more information, you can also check out my Kegel Exercises for Beginners video linked below. These preparation exercises are for the pelvic floor muscles located in this area of your body. These muscles wrap around the base of the penis and a little deeper around the tube that carries urine out of the body.
The correct technique for exercising these muscles is to “Stop the flow of urine and shorten the penis while continuing to breathe” Let’s break this exercise down to make it easy to understand.
I’d like you to do this exercise gently when you’re starting out, not too strong. Your goal should be to get your technique correct first before doing stronger exercises when you can manage them. Here’s the first part of the exercise, practice along with me if you’d like to. Try to gently contract your muscles as if you’re trying to stop or slow the flow of urine and now relax these muscles back to resting.
Next, gently shorten your penis or retract it inwards towards your body. If you’re not sure think about the way a turtle shortens its neck when it moves its head back into its shell. This is a just small movement, now you try gently to shorten the penis and try to keep breathing, and now relax back to resting.
How did you go with that exercise? This is not always easy not always and it can take a little practice before it starts to feel more natural, so take your time with this exercise.
Finally let’s put both actions together to complete the whole exercise gently, stop the flow and shorten the penis while continuing to breathe and now relax. You’re going to be practicing using a combination of quick fast exercises and long slow exercises. The quick exercises are 1-second holds. Let’s do this now together, contract for 1 and now relax.
Next, let’s practice a long slow exercise holding your muscles contracted for up to 10 seconds while you breathe.
Now it’s your turn, try to stop the flow of urine and shorten the penis, keep holding that contraction for 1 and 2 and keep holding gently if you can, keep breathing and holding and now relax. That wasn’t 10 seconds but you should get the idea of doing the slow long exercises. Start out doing your long exercises gently just for the length of time you can manage, even if it’s for a couple of seconds you’re doing well.
You’ll find that with practice over the coming weeks you’ll be able to hold this contraction longer and stronger. Your goal is to hold your long exercises for up to 10 seconds maximum, no longer than this.
Here’s your Daily Training Guide Before Surgery Most men recommence their exercises after the catheter is removed, not before. If you’re leaking urine with your exercises after surgery, do them lying down for the first 2-3 weeks and gradually progress to sitting and standing exercises. Do the number of exercises you can manage and hold for up to 10 seconds.
You may find that the exercises aren’t as easy as they were before the surgery but don’t worry, your ability will return with practice over time. You can then start to hold your exercises longer and stronger as you feel able to.
You may start to notice your bladder control improve between 2 and 6 weeks after your surgery. Many men find they are almost dry 3 months after surgery when doing this regime of regular pelvic floor muscle training. Finally, let’s go through the important tips I mentioned at the outset of this video to help your bladder control.
Limit caffeine intake to 1 serving daily. Avoid alcohol until you have achieved satisfactory bladder control.
Try to wait for at least two-hour intervals between bladder emptying You can test your pelvic floor exercises once a week when you’re emptying your bladder by trying to slow or stop the flow of urine, but do this only as a test and not as a regular exercise. I hope this information helps you understand how best to prepare for your prostatectomy and if you have questions or comments please feel most welcome to leave them below. I’d really appreciate it if you can like this video below if you’ve found it helpful.
I wish you all the best of success and quick recovery after your surgery, I’ll see you next time…
