How to perform pelvic floor muscle function exercises after radical prostatectomy?

Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor of the male urogenital system, and its incidence increases with age. In recent years, the incidence of prostate cancer in elderly men in my country has shown a significant upward trend.

Radical prostatectomy is the most effective method for treating early prostate cancer and has been widely used in clinical practice. However, a series of complications often occur after RP, including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, postoperative bleeding and urethral anastomotic stenosis. The incidence of urinary incontinence is 6% to 20%, which seriously affects the patient's quality of life and reduces the patient's self-confidence. Therefore, it is particularly important to improve the patient's urinary control function after RP.

At present, the view that standardized pelvic floor muscle function training can help restore urinary control function after RP surgery has been widely recognized in clinical practice.

Here is one of many pelvic floor muscle exercises:

Patients can choose to lie flat, stand or sit according to their own conditions. Without contracting the muscles of the lower limbs, abdomen and buttocks, they can voluntarily contract the muscles around the pubic bone and coccyx, maintain for 10 seconds, and then relax and rest for 10 seconds. The above actions are repeated once, and 20 to 30 times are a set. Do one set each in the morning, noon and evening. One month is a course of treatment. The course of treatment is determined based on the patient's recovery of urinary control.

The patient can begin by assessing whether he or she is doing the exercise correctly:

Ask the patient to lie on his side, wear disposable gloves, apply paraffin oil to the index finger, and gently insert it into the patient's anus. Ask the patient to perform pelvic floor muscle function exercises. The correct method is to feel a tightening sensation in the anal canal. Pelvic floor muscle function exercises can change the pelvic floor nerves, increase muscle contraction strength and tension, provide structural support for the bladder and urethra, and strengthen the strength of the urethral sphincter.