The Truth About Male Pelvic Health: 7 Common Men’s Health Issues That Are Actually Pelvic Floor Problems
Dr. Brynn Babb, PT, DPT
When you hear the words pelvic floor, you might think it only applies to women, or maybe you’ve never thought about it at all.
But here’s the truth:
Everyone with a pelvis has a pelvic floor, and that includes those with penises! And when they’re not functioning well, it can show up in surprising and frustrating ways.
At Genesis PT & Wellness, we treat men every week for pelvic floor dysfunction, often after they’ve bounced between providers with no real answers. And we’re here to tell you: these symptoms are common, treatable, and not something you just have to live with.
Whether you’re a man dealing with these issues, or a partner looking for answers, this blog will help you understand what’s going on and how pelvic floor therapy could be the missing link to relief.
Wait - Men Have a Pelvic Floor?
Yes! The male pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit at the bottom of the pelvis. These muscles support your bladder, bowel, and sexual organs. They help control things like urination, bowel movements, and yes, even sexual function. Additionally, the pelvic floor muscles aid in core stability and support for the spine and hips.
Think of these muscles like a trampoline. They’re meant to move up and down, coordinate, and respond to pressure. When they become tight, weak, or uncoordinated, the trampoline effect disappears. That’s when other muscles and structures start to overcompensate, leading to pain, dysfunction, and frustrating symptoms.
7 Common Men’s Health Issues That Are Actually Pelvic Floor Problems
1. Chronic Pelvic Pain
Whether it’s testicular, rectal, tailbone, or pain with urination—chronic pelvic pain is often complex and hard to diagnose. One major contributor? Pelvic floor dysfunction.
When the pelvic floor muscles lose their natural “bounce” (i.e., become too tight, too weak, or both), the pelvis loses its foundational support. Other muscles and structures that attach to the pelvis can overcompensate and become strained, and nerves in the area can become irritated or upregulated, leading to pain that feels sharp, dull, burning, or just plain mysterious.
🧠 Pelvic floor therapy can help restore this trampoline effect, bringing balance, support, and relief.
2. Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
Supporting health erections is all about blood flow. And believe it or not, your pelvic floor muscles play a direct role in helping blood enter and stay in the penis.
Two key muscles, the bulbospongiosus and ischiocavernosus, are responsible for maintaining penile rigidity. If these muscles are tight, weak, or dysfunctional, they can compromise blood flow and contribute to unsatisfactory erections, or ED.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re experiencing ED, get your heart checked too, because cardiovascular health matters, and the heart is our main “blood-pumper”. But don’t overlook pelvic floor therapy as a powerful, non-medication-based solution.
3. Constipation
Straining on the toilet? Feeling like you’re never fully empty?
One of the jobs of the pelvic floor is to act like a sphincter, and control the anal opening where stool passes. Ideally during a bowel movement, the pelvic floor muscles fully relax allowing for smooth, and pain-free emptying. But if those muscles are too tight or aren’t relaxing properly, passing stool can become difficult, incomplete, and even painful.
🚽 Try using a Squatty Potty or a small step stool to put your body in a better position for your pelvic floor to relax and allow emptying. Combine that with pelvic floor therapy for long-term relief.
4. Urinary Dribbling
You finish peeing. You zip up. And then… dampness.
This frustrating symptom, called post-void dribbling, happens when the pelvic floor doesn’t fully relax or coordinate during urination. The pelvic floor muscles assist with bladder emptying and allow urine to pass through the urethra (tube where urine comes out). Ideally, the pelvic floor muscles relax to allow for complete bladder emptying. When that doesn’t happen appropriately, urine can get trapped and leak out after you think you’re done.
🌬️ Breath is key: Whether you sit or stand to urinate, try deep, diaphragmatic breathing while urinating to help the pelvic floor relax to help with emptying and minimize any dribbling.
5. Urinary Frequency, Urgency, and Incomplete Emptying
Waking up multiple times a night to pee? Always on the lookout for the nearest bathroom? Or maybe you feel like you just went, yet still need to go again?
These are all signs that your pelvic floor muscles might not be doing their job well. An overactive pelvic floor can send false alarms to your bladder, creating that constant sense of urgency. On the flip side, if the muscles aren’t relaxing properly, it can lead to incomplete bladder emptying, and that lingering, uncomfortable feeling like you’re not quite done.
We may also recommend you get your prostate checked or even get screened for sleep apnea, as those conditions can contribute too. But in many cases, the pelvic floor is a key part of the puzzle, and often the part that’s overlooked.
🛏️ With pelvic floor therapy, we can retrain these muscles to coordinate and relax properly—so you can empty fully, go less often, and feel more in control.
6. Sexual Discomfort or Changes in Sensation
Experiencing pain with ejaculation? Difficulty finishing? Or maybe things just don’t feel the way they used to?
These changes can be confusing, frustrating, and hard to talk about, but they’re more common than you think. In many cases, they’re linked to tightness, weakness, or poor coordination in the pelvic floor muscles.
These muscles play a vital role in sexual function and sensation. They help regulate blood flow, contract during climax, and relax afterward. When they’re not working well, you might notice anything from discomfort to diminished sensation or performance.
Unfortunately, these symptoms are often misdiagnosed or dismissed altogether. But the good news? Pelvic floor therapy can make a real difference, helping restore balance, relieve tension, and rebuild sexual confidence.
🍑 Sexual function is in large part, physical, and pelvic floor therapy is a safe, effective way to address the root of many common problems without relying solely on medications.
7. Back Pain or Hip Pain That Just Won’t Go Away
Tried everything for that nagging back pain or stubborn hip ache, but nothing seems to stick?
It might be time to look a little deeper… or lower.
Your pelvic floor is a major stabilizer in your core and pelvic region. It works in tandem with your hips, abdominals, diaphragm, and low back muscles to keep your body balanced and supported. When these muscles become dysfunctional (either too tight, too weak, or not coordinating properly) they can disrupt the entire system.
This can lead to chronic tension, compensation patterns, or mobility limitations that show up as low back pain, groin tightness, or hip discomfort.
At Genesis PT & Wellness, we take a whole-body approach, looking at how the pelvic floor contributes to movement, posture, and alignment, not just isolated symptoms.
🧘♂️ If you’re stuck in a pain loop with your back or hips, pelvic floor therapy could be the missing link your body has been asking for.
“Why Haven’t I Heard This Before?”
That’s one of the most common questions we hear, and we get it.
Men’s pelvic health is often overlooked and under-discussed. These issues aren’t typically talked about at regular check-ups, they don’t show up in most wellness conversations, and many men are told that symptoms like leaking, urgency, ED, or pelvic pain are just “part of getting older” or “something you have to live with.”
But that’s simply not true.
Even when it is addressed, the conversation often stops short. Many men are offered a single solution, like medication, and if that doesn’t fully work, or isn’t a path they want to take, they’re left without next steps. Sometimes they’re referred to traditional orthopedic physical therapy, or told the prostate is the issue, but even with those treatments, if the pelvic floor isn’t evaluated and supported, symptoms often linger.
That’s where we come in.
At Genesis PT & Wellness, our goal is to change the narrative. We’re committed to offering a safe, supportive, and judgment-free space where men, and the partners who care about them, can feel heard, understood, and empowered with real solutions.
These conditions are incredibly common and, more importantly, highly treatable, especially when we stop isolating symptoms and start looking at how the whole body works together.
🗣️ If this is your first time hearing that pelvic floor therapy might be for you, you’re exactly where you need to be.
If This Sounds Like You (Or Someone You Love)… You’re Not Alone
At Genesis PT & Wellness, we’ve helped hundreds of men and their partners find clarity, relief, and long-term results through expert, individualized pelvic floor therapy. Whether you’re dealing with pelvic pain, leaking, constipation, ED—or simply know something just feels off—you are not alone, and you’re not beyond help.
We take the time to understand your whole story. Our approach is:
- Holistic and full-body focused
- Collaborative and rooted in education
- Private, respectful, and personalized
We assess posture, breathing, movement, and muscular coordination across the entire body, not just your pelvis, because pelvic health isn’t isolated. It’s connected to everything you do: how you move, how you manage stress, and how you feel in your body.
Rather than just treating symptoms, we look at how all of these pieces work together so we can figure out the root cause, restore function, relieve tension, and help you build real strength and resilience. Not just for today, but for life.
🌟 We’re here to listen, educate, treat, and support you—without judgment and without pressure.
For the Partners Reading This
You know when something’s off, even when he won’t say it out loud. Pelvic health affects everything from daily comfort to physical activity, intimacy, and even confidence.
Your encouragement and curiosity can be the bridge to getting help. We welcome you in the process and are here to answer your questions too.
Let’s Get You Answers and a Plan
If you’re tired of dealing with mystery symptoms, lingering discomfort, or things that just don’t feel right… we’re here for you.
Book a free 15-minute virtual consult with one of our specialized pelvic floor therapists. We’ll talk through your symptoms, answer your questions, and help you understand how pelvic floor therapy at Genesis PT & Wellness can help.
Contact us here to help you virtually, or in-person in TX or CO!
