Why Men Should Not Ignore Their Pelvic Floors

In his early 30s, Dr. Chad Woodard spent hours cycling around New York City training for an Ironman triathlon. Around the same time, he began to experience pelvic pain and erectile dysfunction. He never suspected his workouts could be the cause.

- Danielle Friedman

NEW YORK — In his early 30s, Dr. Chad Woodard spent hours cycling around New York City training for an Ironman triathlon. Around the same time, he began to experience pelvic pain and erectile dysfunction. He never suspected his workouts could be the cause.

Dr. Woodard, now an assistant professor of physical therapy at Hunter College, had been in practice for several years. But it was only when a urologist asked him if he treated men with pelvic floor dysfunction that he began to educate himself about the pelvic floor.

This is an umbrella term for the sling of muscles, ligaments, and nerves at the base of the torso that supports the bladder, bowels, and reproductive organs.

When the pelvic floor becomes either overly lax or overly tight in men, it can cause incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and pain in the scrotum, rectum, or groin.

Pelvic floor treatment is not taught in depth in most physical therapy programs, so Dr. Woodard sought out continuing education coursework in pelvic care, and discovered that he himself was suffering from pelvic floor dysfunction.

After he successfully treated his conditions using the exercises he was learning, he dedicated his practice to helping other men.

In recent years, women's pelvic floor health has received more attention, thanks to women's health advocates, social media activism, and the rise of a cottage industry of telehealth companies and products to treat pelvic floor issues.

But men's pelvic floor health is often still overlooked by medical providers. According to some estimates, as many as one in six men may suffer from a pelvic floor disorder, but many men do not know they have a pelvic floor, providers told The New York Times.