P.M was a 28 year old male with chronic pelvic pain and referred to me by his urologist. His pain started a few years ago while in graduate school and just got worse with time. He described a constant deep ache in his pelvis, sexual dysfunction, bladder problems and constipation.
With the physical therapy examination, a lot of tightness in his abdomen, low back and pelvic floor muscles were found. There were also very specific restrictions around his prostate and bladder creating added tension with urination and during sex.
By creating an environment to to discuss his history in depth, he openly shared details of how the stressor of his chronic illness had affected his work and dating life. This allowed for a better appreciation of the psychosocial impact of his symptoms and a referral was made to a psychologist whom we worked closely with to develop his multidisciplinary plan of care.
He had PT 1x/wk for 12 weeks focusing on pelvic floor muscle relaxing and very specific and gentle manual therapy around his pelvic organs. In working closely with his urologist, he was prescribed targeted medications to help further relax his pelvic floor muscles along with the continued PT.
The outcome of therapy was a significant reduction in his pelvic pain, no bladder symptoms and a feeling of confidence as he continued to date. He felt empowered with his own self care and would do quarterly physical therapy check-ins to ensure he kept the pain at bay.
