Bladder & Bowel

• Do you feel like you are always rushing to the toilet?
• Do you feel like you haven’t emptied your bowel or bladder properly?
• Are you dribbling after you have finished urinating?
• Is it difficult to start urinating or do you feel like you have a slow flow?
• Are you soiling your underwear?

Urinary incontinence is common in Australian men. 1 in 8 men will experience urinary incontinence at some point in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 Australian men will experience faecal incontinence (soiling). Constipation, soiling and urinary incontinence can impact your life in significant and upsetting ways.

Having bladder and bowel trouble is not just a problem for women. Men also struggle. As men age, bladder and bowel problems become more frequent. Often, having an enlarged prostate can be a contributing factor to your bladder problems, but there can be other reasons for continence issues. In most cases, problems with continence can be well managed conservatively.

Having trouble controlling and emptying your bowels and bladder can be embarrassing and frustrating and impact on your quality of life. If you feel embarrassed at the urinal, are waking up multiple times a night to toilet, plan your day around finding toilets, avoid social situations, or are too worried to leave the house without first having a bowel motion, then it’s time to start looking for help.

Common Symptoms

Some common symptoms include:

• Soiling with exercise, or on the way to the toilet
• Dribbling urine after you have finished urinating
• Needing to urinate more than twice at night
• Rushing to the toilet
• Not making it to the toilet on time
• Difficulty starting urination or straining to try and empty your bladder
• Feeling like you haven’t emptied your bladder or bowel properly
• Needing to use the toilet more often than in the past
• Abdominal pain or straining with a bowel motion
• Passing wind accidently

How can we Help?

Physiotherapy can help to improve, and in some cases cure, your bowel or bladder troubles.  

Your Active Men’s Health physiotherapist will conduct a detailed assessment of your problems and symptoms. Using this information, we will help you to understand the causes of your symptoms and work with you to develop a treatment plan that takes into account your lifestyle, goals, leisure activities and general health. 

Using a combination of pelvic floor muscle training, guided lifestyle modifications and targeted exercise programs, your physiotherapist will work with you to improve your continence. 

What to Expect From my Appointment?

• Detailed Interview to fully understand your symptoms, medical and surgical history and your specific goals. 
• Physical Assessment of your body, and pelvic floor using the latest technologies. 
• Targeted Treatments which may include Real Time Diagnostic Ultrasound to facilitate pelvic floor muscle activation, manual therapy and tailored advice and education.  
• Progressive Exercise Program to assist you not only with your pelvic floor strength and endurance, but with your general fitness, health and well-being.  
• Communication and Collaboration with your specialists and General Practitioner to keep them informed of your progress and to support your care.