Prostate surgery (e.g.radical prostatectomy or TURP) can cause many men to subsequently experience urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. The most common reason men undergo prostate surgery is as a result of prostate cancer. As such, the most pertinent issue of prostate surgery in these cases is to ensure that the cancerous tissue is removed. However, a large proportion of men having had a prostatectomy will experience urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, at least in the short-term. This can be incredibly debilitating for many men and severely impact of their physical and psychological states and overall quality of life.

The good news is that training of the pelvic floor muscles can vastly improve symptoms experienced after prostate surgery. Pelvic floor exercises (sometimes known as Kegels) are taught using real-time ultrasound by our physiotherapists and then an appropriate program of exercises will be prescribed to you based on your individual circumstances. The best results are usually achieved by men who undertake training and conditioning of their pelvic floor muscles prior to having surgery.

Following prostate surgery, it is not unusual for your general mobility to be impacted to some extent and you will likely lose some general conditioning. As such, our physiotherapists will work with you to develop an appropriate conditioning program of exercises as part of your rehabilitation. The good thing is that general exercise and improved physical condition can help improve any incontinence or erectile dysfunction you may be experiencing.