Urinary Incontinence

One of the side effects of removal of the prostate gland is urinary incontinence. This affects most men post-operatively and for 90%, their symptoms will fully resolve in 12-16 weeks. However, there are some things you can do when preparing for your surgery which can help the process of returning “to dry”.

Exercising your pelvic floor preoperatively has been shown to reduce the duration of urinary symptoms post-op. Think of it as switching from “automatic” to “manual”. During your daily life, your pelvic floor muscles “tick over” without any conscious input; however, after surgery you will need this muscle to provide more support to the urinary system. You can prepare the pelvic floor muscles by actively exercising them in the weeks before your surgery. Physiotherapy will teach you how to contract your pelvic floor muscles and give you a progressive exercise programme to follow before your surgery.

A post-surgery exercise programme for your pelvic floor muscles is a must. Learning to engage the muscle before activities such as: sitting to standing, pushing lawnmower to even swinging a golf club all help in regaining continence. Physiotherapy will ensure you are doing your pelvic floor exercises correctly and support you in progressing the programme as appropriate.

Please note: Men’s health initial assessment requires a 1-hour appointment.