There is an opinion that physical exercise for prostatitis can have a positive effect on men's health - is it true?In fact, gymnastics has long been used in medicine to treat a variety of diseases, including prostatitis.Naturally, physical activity is not useful in all cases of prostatitis – there are forms of the disease in which treatment with physical exercise is strictly contraindicated.But the benefits of prescribing therapeutic exercises to a man with prostatitis cannot be canceled.Physiotherapy is a simple, economical, accessible and effective cure for this disease.
About prostatitis
Before treating prostatitis with gymnastic exercises, you need to know the characteristics of this disease.Possessing the necessary information will make it possible to effectively treat the disease with physical exercise, as well as avoid the use of physical therapy (physiotherapy) in cases where it could be harmful.
Prostate
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland (prostate gland).This organ plays an important role in a man's sexual life, synthesizing the hormone “dihydrotestosterone”, which enables attraction to the weaker sex and penis erection.The prostate produces a secretion that, when mixed with semen, makes it liquid and able to pass through the urethra.This secret also affects sperm, making them mobile, vigorous and viable.
The prostate is located below the bladder, connected to the ureter.The secretion produced by the organ enters the urethra through the communicating ducts.When the prostate becomes inflamed, its tissues expand and compress the ureter from the sides - this impairs the patency of the urethra.Problems urinating are the most characteristic sign of prostatitis.Added to this are the symptoms of intense pain in the pelvic region and impotence.
Types of prostatitis
Prostate inflammation can occur due to congestion in the pelvic region and the penetration of an infectious agent into the prostate tissue.A rarer cause of inflammation is the appearance of oncological processes, both benign (prostate adenoma) and malignant (prostate cancer).So, depending on the cause that caused the inflammation, prostatitis is divided into the following types:
- stagnant;
- infectious;
- hyperplasiogenic.
Causes of the disease
Prostatitis is a disease that a man can rarely avoid in his lifetime.The disease is an age-related disease - it mainly affects middle-aged and elderly men, but recently young people have also started to get sick more and more.Why does this happen?
Today is an era of sedentary lifestyle.This fact is surprising given the powerful dynamics demonstrated by modernity – people work multiple jobs, managing to accomplish dozens of different things in a day.But when you delve deeper into what is happening, it becomes clear: out of three jobs, two are freelance, which are done at home, on the computer;you don't need to walk if you have a car;food can be ordered online and delivered to your home.Thus, men, despite all possible activities, are sedentary.
Physical inactivity is the cause of poor blood circulation in the body.Like any other hydrodynamic system, the circulatory system requires dynamic circulation.Let us explain by analogy with the operation of a mechanical wristwatch with a winding function.If the watch is in a static position, the winding will not work - only under condition of dynamic influence.And the circulatory system works normally only when a person moves.
The permanent posture of a freelancer, vehicle driver or office worker is sitting.Our body is adapted to sitting;the gluteal muscles help a person in this, they can level the pressure in the circulatory system of the pelvis for a long time.But sitting for a long time tires the muscles, causing prolonged compression syndrome - a pathological phenomenon that is harmful to men's health.The more a man weighs, the shorter the shock-absorbing function of the buttocks becomes - obese men are more susceptible to prostatitis than thin men.
Another problem is bad habits.Statistics say that the average office worker smokes half a pack of cigarettes and drinks 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day, and in the evenings he prefers beer and computer games.Coffee and beer are very harmful drinks for the prostate;add to this smoking and prolonged stay and we have a high probability of developing prostatitis.
To summarize the above, we will cite three main reasons for the occurrence of prostatitis in young men in the modern era:
- physical inactivity;
- prolonged session;
- bad habits.
Important!Treating prostatitis with gym training is a solution for many men who prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle.The ability to cure an illness by taking a brief break from the computer at home is exactly what suits the modern person.
Therapeutic exercise in the treatment of prostatitis
Physiotherapy for prostatitis has long and successfully been used in various therapeutic cultural traditions - Greek (gymnastics), Chinese (kung fu), Indian (yoga), Anglo-Saxon (aerobics, fitness, fitball).Exercise therapy for prostatitis shows good results;It is ideal for treating prostatitis at home, making it an excellent therapy for men.
About the effect of therapeutic exercises on the male body
Physical activity circulates blood throughout the body, nourishing tissues with the substances they need.A man who performs special exercises against prostatitis can ensure that congestion in the pelvic area stops, dead cells are eliminated through the bloodstream, prostate tissue is renewed and inflammation disappears.Additionally, training will strengthen your body.Thus, gym exercises not only cure prostatitis but also help improve men's health.However, exercise therapy cannot be used unconditionally in all cases of the disease.Let's look at the list of contraindications for the use of physical exercise for men with prostate diseases.
General contraindications for the use of physical exercise:
- Gymnastics cannot treat prostatitis if it is in the acute phase.Prostate tissue in the acute phase of inflammation becomes vulnerable to dynamic effects and can be damaged.An exacerbation causes intense pain, exercise intensifies it even more, making physical exercise torture.
- You cannot practice sports activities that involve sitting - this is a harmful exercise for prostatitis;Exercises for prostatitis of this type should be avoided.This could be cycling, some postures to stimulate the abdomen.
- Exercises to treat prostatitis should not be practiced by men who have high blood pressure or heart problems;who have recently undergone surgery are suffering from an inguinal hernia.
- Some experts consider gymnastics harmful for infectious and oncological forms of prostatitis.This opinion is debatable, there is no clear recommendation.
Before treating prostatitis with gymnastics, it is important to consult a therapist.The attending physician must be aware of the patient's decisions - he is the person who can authoritatively assess the possible benefits and harms of exercise therapy in each specific case.
Exercises for prostatitis
Regular exercise for prostatitis can seriously alleviate the patient's condition, provided he does everything correctly.And so that there is no doubt, let's see what exercises you can do.
Classic therapeutic gymnastics
Traditional therapeutic exercises for prostatitis appeared in the times of the ancient Greeks.The founder of this type of gymnastics was the doctor Herodico, who was an extraordinary person: seriously ill with a “disease that affects the respiratory system”, he promoted a set of exercises in Greece that could make any patient stand up.He was a very famous healer - the philosopher Plato wrote enthusiastically about him.Herodicus's gymnastics was used to treat many diseases, including prostatitis.The discipline, founded by a doctor, became the prototype of modern exercise therapy.Herodicus's exercises have come down to us in images represented on amphorae and frescoes.Among them are those recommended by modern andrology for the treatment of prostatitis:
- Standing hip raise.A standing man, keeping his back straight, alternately raises his thigh parallel to the floor.The position of your back should not change while performing the task.
- Lying hip raise.The patient, in a supine position, brings the hips closer and raises them perpendicular to the axis of the floor.When performing a task, your back should remain flat on the floor, without leaving it.
- Squat.The patient keeps his arms in front of him parallel to the floor and squats so that the sacrum almost touches the floor.Hands maintain position while performing a task.You can't take your heels off the floor!
- Lifting the buttocks off the floor.The patient, resting his elbows and feet on the floor, arches upwards, lifting his buttocks off the floor.
- Scissors while lying on your back.A man lying down raises his legs 45 degrees from the floor and begins to cross them, alternately changing the position of each leg relative to the floor - first one lower, then the other.You cannot lift your back and neck off the floor!
- Scissors while lying face down.The exercise is done similarly to regular scissors, only the patient's position changes - he becomes face down.
- Bicycle.A man, lying on his back, raises his legs 45 degrees and pedals an imaginary bicycle in the air.
The exercises we list are simple and do not require special physical training;any man can perform them.There is a high probability that the exercises will not be performed perfectly right away.It is important to understand what is right and fight for it.
Attention!When performing physical exercises for prostatitis, it is advisable to warm up - jump, clap your hands, shake your body and limbs, run in place.Exercises are done 10 times in 3 sets, starting with 5 times in 1 set.The load is increased every 2 or 3 weeks until the recommended number of runs and approaches is reached.
Yoga
Training according to the canons of ancient Indian gymnastics is not suitable for every man.It is important to have at least some physical skills to treat prostatitis by performing therapeutic yoga tasks.
The advantage of yoga is its extreme popularity in modern society;there is a lot of educational material on the Internet - videos, books.With this in mind, we will recommend some exercises from this discipline that can help men combat prostatitis:
- surya namaskar (set of morning exercises);
- Chandra Namaskar (night exercise set);
- kapalabgati (abdominal breathing technique);
- “lotus” asana with inversion of the heel in the groin area;
- Asana “Makarasana” (relaxation pose) – from 15 minutes to an hour;
- Asana “Viparita Karani” (Birch Pose);
- Ashwini mudra (controlled contraction of anal muscles).
All recommended exercises should be performed under the supervision of a yoga instructor.The order of postures is important and must also be agreed with a specialist.Asanas are not performed alone;they are done in combination with other exercises.The duration of classes is individual and depends on the patient's physical fitness.
Kegel exercises for treating prostatitis
Basically, the gymnastics developed by Dr. Kegel aims to prevent various male diseases, but there is one exercise that has a therapeutic effect specifically on the inflamed prostate - it is the “tension of the pelvic floor muscles”.The essence of the exercise is to tense the muscles that the person uses during the act of defecation, and not the buttocks, as one might think.It is advisable that the intestines are empty.Or, alternatively, you should do the exercise while sitting on the toilet seat - this will save the patient from the unpleasant consequences of the exercise.You need to push not with your abdominal muscles, but with those that surround the rectum and sphincter.The doctor advises pushing as if the patient wanted to vomit the prostate.The inflamed organ is perceived by patients as a foreign object stuck in the rectum.The patient's efforts should be directed at his imaginary “defecation”.The exercise should be done 2 to 3 times a day for 5 to 10 minutes.
Physical exercises for prostatitis, carried out under strict guidance from a professional, can bring considerable benefits to the male body.
Fitball
Fitball (not to be confused with “football”!) is a type of aerobics (fitness) that uses a large ball (up to one meter in diameter).Fitball organically complements aerobics, adding a strength factor to it.Fitball allows you to lose weight in a fairly short time.This quality attracts many people to this type of fitness.Obesity is a factor that significantly worsens the course of prostatitis.After getting rid of excess weight, you can start regular exercise with exercise therapy complexes for prostatitis.What exercises for prostatitis are there on fitball?Let's list them:
- Rotation of the pelvis on the ball.The ball should be slightly deflated and inelastic.Sit on the ball with your legs stretched out in front.Then they make rotational movements with the pelvis, alternating movements to the left and right - 5-10 to the left and then the same amount to the right.
- Hugging the ball with your feet while lifting it.The ball is hugged by the patient from the sides and then lifted off the floor by the thigh muscles.An exercise can be considered effective when the muscles of the anus work significantly during its execution.
- Leg twists with the ball.You need a ball with a diameter of up to 50 cm;a bigger one won't work.The man lies on his back and lifts the ball with his legs straight at an angle of 50-60 degrees.The ball is attached to the sides of the feet, the legs rotate like a pendulum - to the left and right.
That's all.We could not find any other specialized fitball exercise against prostatitis.But fitball is good in itself;remember that excess weight is a powerful factor in the development of prostatitis.Getting rid of excess weight will make it easier for men to fight an unpleasant disease.