Prostate gland
The Prostate Gland is part of the reproductive system in Males and sits below your bladder.
It surrounds a section of your urethra which carries urine from the bladder.
The major role of the Prostate Gland is to create some of the fluid (prostatic fluid) in semen to assist in carrying sperm during ejaculation.
How can it be affected?
The 3 main conditions that affect your prostate are: - Prostate Enlargement
- Prostate Inflammation (Prostatitis)
- Prostate Cancer
Urinary symptoms common with Prostate Disease
Incomplete Bladder Emptying
Frequency - Including during the night
Hesitancy or straining to urinate
Urgency
Post-Urine Dribble
The Prostate Gland tends to enlarge with age which can create an obstruction to the flow of urine (as pictured below). The incidence of this increases with age in males
Prostatitis is when the prostate gland becomes inflamed which causes pain in the pelvis and sometimes when passing urine. Obstruction of the urethral urine flow may occur due to the inflammation which can result in frequency, urgency, and hesitancy. This can be caused by a bacterial infection that can happen at any age. Another form of prostatitis is called Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome which involves a range of physical, functional, psychological, and co-morbidity issues
Prostate Cancer develops when abnormal cells grow in the prostate gland. When it initially develops there are no common signs of Prostate Cancer and hence gets the label of being the 'silent killer'. This is why Early Detection is critical in prostate cancer as this tends to lead to improved survival rate with treatment.
If you are ever unsure or any of the above symptoms sound familiar to you then please contact your GP for a screening
Incidence/prevalence of Prostate Cancer
In 2023, it is estimated that over 25,000 Men will be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, and about 1 in 10 Men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of 75
1 in 6 Men will be diagnosed by the age of 85 Incidence
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia for Men (2022)
Mortality
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cause of cancer-related death in Australian men behind Lung-Cancer (2022)
Physiotherapy Role
Pre-Prostate-Surgery [Prostate Health]
Getting an understanding of your pre-surgery function allows us to create some achievable benchmark goals for post-surgery. This relates to bladder, erectile function, physical activity levels, diet, hydration, goals, and much more. Your post-surgery action plan will be created from this so that it is appropriate for you specifically.
Managing patient expectations for you and your family is also a key feature, we aim to make the post-surgical journey as clear as possible as there’ll be enough on your mind already. Going through the anatomy and surgery to put your rehabilitation into context when it begins. Having a loved one with you can be extremely valuable to help reinforce key messages about your condition and recovery. We understand that this is a difficult period of time so having support can be quite beneficial. Teaching and training your Pelvic floor will be vital before surgery, it becomes a lot harder post-surgery to train your pelvic floor, and therefore having a good foundation of training under your belt can go a long way to assisting your post-surgical rehab. Pelvic floor training is quite difficult even before training so getting the foundations right in preparation is critical
Post-Prostate-Surgery [Prostate Health]
Your Physiotherapist can assist with your bladder control and training. This can be difficult due to the nature of this surgery and having guidance and education around bladder control will be extremely beneficial. Beginning or Continuing Pelvic floor training with your physiotherapist once your catheter has been removed and progressing your training where able. This is critical for recovery following surgery to assist with continence and bladder control. An assessment of your pelvic floor will be completed to ensure we have a strong start to our rehabilitation and continue this in the weeks and months following surgery. It is easy to plateau during rehabilitation so your physio should keep progressing with your pelvic floor training and integrate this with some physical activity where appropriate
Providing you with information about erectile rehabilitation post-surgery and assisting with what may be needed to assist this process. Different Men have different outcomes post-surgery when it comes to erectile rehabilitation so this isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach
Summary
This is just a brief summary of what can be a difficult process to understand so please contact Dane at High Line Active Physiotherapy Richmond or consult with your doctor if you have any further questions.
Judging by the numbers, there is likely someone you know or love who'd benefit from reading a post on Prostate Health. Don't be a hero, contact your physio