Men’s Health for Movember 2018
I thought I’d share some information about a little-known, very distressing condition called Peyronie’s disease (PD). It has a higher incidence in the post-radical prostatectomy population. I would like to recognise Jo Milios (Physiotherapist, PhD candidate) for her dedication to this topic making it the subject of her RCT’s, which will hopefully be published soon.
PD is a disorder whereby, fibrous inelastic plaques form in the tunica albuginea (TA) of the corpora cavernosa of the penis. These plaques may be palpable and can cause a number of penile symptoms such as penile pain, curvature, hinge deformity, shortening, narrowing, indentation and erectile dysfunction. These symptoms potentially hinder sexual function and penetration thus effecting relationships and causing psychosocial distress.
It can occur due to injury, post-surgery, cardiovascular disease or genetics. It can be due to a reduction in penile blood flow. To maintain the ability to have erections, men require 24hour penile blood flow and on average, have 6-8 erections per night usually during REM sleep, keeping the penile tissue healthy. Some surgeries alter this blood flow for a period of time thereby altering the number of “maintenance erections”.
The good news is that physiotherapy can help with simple non-invasive tools.
Help your Bro’s this Movember by talking more about your health and doing something about it if you are concerned.
If you have any questions, please email us on [email protected] or call 5535 5218
