There is an opinion that physical exercise for prostatitis can have a positive effect on a man's health - is this true?Indeed, gymnastics has long been used in medicine to treat various conditions, 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, affordable and effective remedy for this disease.
About prostatitis
Before treating prostatitis with gymnastic exercises, you need to know the features of this disease.Possession of the necessary information will allow you to effectively treat the disease through physical exercise, as well as avoid the use of physiotherapy (physiotherapy) in cases where it can be harmful.
Prostate gland
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate (prostate).This organ plays an important role in the sexual life of men, synthesizing the hormone “dihydrotestosterone”, which makes attraction to the weaker sex and erection of the penis possible.The prostate produces a secretion which, 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, attached 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, which impairs the patency of the urethra.Urination problems 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
Inflammation of the prostate 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 disease
Prostatitis is a disease that a man can rarely avoid during his life.The disease is an age-related disease - it mainly affects middle-aged men and the elderly, but recently young people are also starting to get sick more and more.Why is this so?
The current era is an era of sedentary lifestyle.This fact is striking given the powerful dynamic demonstrated by modernity: people work multiple jobs and manage to accomplish dozens of different things in a day.But when you dig deeper into what's going on, it becomes clear: out of three jobs, two are freelance, done at home on the computer;you don't have 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 causes poor blood circulation in the body.Like any other hydrodynamic system, the circulatory system needs dynamic circulation.Let us explain by analogy the operation of a mechanical wristwatch with a winding function.If the watch is in a static position, winding will not work - only under dynamic influence.And the circulatory system works normally only when a person moves.
The permanent posture of a self-employed person, vehicle driver or office worker is the sitting position.Our body is adapted to sitting;the gluteal muscles help a person in this matter, they can level the pressure on the circulatory system of the pelvis for a long time.But prolonged sitting tires the muscles, causing long-term compression syndrome, a pathological phenomenon detrimental 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 indicate that the average office worker smokes half a pack of cigarettes and drinks 2-4 glasses of coffee per day and prefers beer and computer games in the evening.Coffee and beer are very harmful drinks for the prostate;add to this smoking and prolonged sitting and we get a high probability of developing prostatitis.
To summarize the above, we will cite three main reasons for the appearance of prostatitis in young men of the modern era:
- physical inactivity;
- prolonged sitting;
- bad habits.
Important!Treatment of prostatitis with the help of gymnastics training is a solution for many men who prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle.The ability to cure an illness by briefly taking time away from the computer at home is exactly what suits the modern man.
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 gives good results;it is ideal for treating prostatitis at home, becoming 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 for prostatitis can ensure that congestion in the pelvic area stops, dead cells are removed through the bloodstream, prostate tissue is renewed and inflammation disappears.Additionally, training will strengthen the body.Thus, gymnastic exercises will not only cure prostatitis, but also help improve a man's health.However, exercise therapy cannot be used unconditionally in all cases of illness.Let's look at the list of contraindications to the use of physical exercises for men with prostate diseases.
General contraindications to the use of physical exercise:
- Gymnastics cannot treat prostatitis if it is in the acute stage.Prostate tissue in the acute stage of inflammation becomes vulnerable to dynamic effects and can be damaged.An exacerbation causes intense pain, exercise intensifies it further, making physical exercise torture.
- You cannot engage in sports activities involving sitting - this is a harmful exercise for prostatitis;exercises for prostatitis of this type should be avoided.It could be cycling, a few poses to pump up the abs.
- Exercises intended for the treatment of prostatitis should not be performed by men with high blood pressure or heart problems;who have recently undergone surgery suffer from an inguinal hernia.
- Some experts consider gymnastics to be harmful for infectious and oncological forms of prostatitis.This opinion is questionable, there is no clear recommendation.
Before treating prostatitis with gymnastics, it is important to consult a therapist.The attending physician should be aware of the patient's decisions - this 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 that he does everything correctly.And so that there is no doubt, let's look at 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 Doctor Herodicus, who was a very extraordinary person: seriously ill with a “disease affecting the respiratory system”, he promoted in Greece a series of exercises that could put any patient back on his feet.He was a very famous healer - the philosopher Plato wrote about him with delight.Herodicus gymnastics was used to treat many illnesses, including prostatitis.The discipline, founded by a doctor, became the prototype of modern exercise therapy.Herodicus' exercises have come down to us in the form of images depicted on amphorae and frescoes.Among them are those that are recommended by modern andrology for the treatment of prostatitis:
- Standing hip raise.A man in a standing position, keeping his back straight, alternately raises his thigh parallel to the ground.The position of the back should not change while performing the task.
- Lying hip raise.The patient, in a supine position, brings the hips together and raises them perpendicular to the axis of the ground.When performing a task, your back should remain on the ground without leaving it.
- Squatter.The patient holds his arms in front of him parallel to the floor and squats so that the sacrum almost touches the floor.The hands maintain their position while performing a task.You can't lift your heels off the ground!
- Lift your buttocks off the floor.The patient, resting his elbows and feet on the floor, arches upward, lifting his buttocks off the floor.
- Scissor while lying on your back.A man in a lying position 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 can’t lift your back and the back of your head off the ground!
- Scissors while lying on your stomach.The exercise is done in the same way as ordinary scissors, only the patient's position changes - he lies on his stomach.
- Bike.A man, lying on his back, raises his legs 45 degrees and pedals through the air on an imaginary bicycle.
The exercises we have listed are simple and do not require special physical training;any man can perform them.Chances are the exercises won't be performed perfectly right away.It is important to understand what is right and strive for it.
Attention!When performing physical exercises for prostatitis, it is advisable to warm up - by jumping, clapping, shaking the body and limbs, running in place.Exercises are performed 10 times in 3 sets, starting with 5 times in 1 set.The load is increased every 2-3 weeks until the recommended number of executions and approaches is reached.
Yoga
Training according to the canons of ancient Indian gymnastics is not suitable for everyone.It is important to have at least some physical skills in order to treat prostatitis by performing therapeutic yoga tasks.
The advantage of yoga is its extreme popularity in modern society;there are many educational materials on the Internet - videos, books.With this in mind, we will recommend some exercises from this discipline that can help a man in the fight against prostatitis:
- surya namaskar (morning exercise series);
- Chandra Namaskar (evening exercise series);
- kapalabgati (abdominal breathing technique);
- “lotus” asana with heel inversion in the groin area;
- Asana “Makarasana” (relaxation pose) – 15 minutes to one hour;
- asana “Viparita Karani” (birch pose);
- Ashwini mudra (controlled contraction of the anal muscles).
All recommended exercises should be performed under the supervision of a yoga trainer.The order of installation is important and must also be agreed with a specialist.Asanas are not performed alone;they are performed in combination with other exercises.The duration of classes is individual and depends on the physical fitness of the patient.
Kegel exercises for the treatment of prostatitis
Basically, the gymnastics developed by Dr. Kegel is aimed at preventing various male diseases, but there is one exercise that has a therapeutic effect specifically on the inflamed prostate: this is “pelvic floor muscle tension”.The essence of the exercise is to contract the muscles used by a person during the act of defecation, and not the buttocks, as one might think.It is advisable that the intestines are empty.Or, as an option, you need to do the exercise sitting on the toilet seat - this will save the patient from the unpleasant consequences of the exercise.You should not push with the abdominal muscles, but with those surrounding the rectum and sphincter.The doctor advises to push as if the patient wants to vomit the prostate.The inflamed organ is perceived by patients as a foreign body stuck in the rectum.The patient's efforts should be aimed at his imaginary "defecation".The exercise should be performed 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes.
Physical exercises for prostatitis, carried out under the strict guidance of 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 aggravates the course of prostatitis.After getting rid of excess weight, you can start regular exercises from exercise therapy complexes for prostatitis.What exercises for prostatitis are there in fitball?Let's list them:
- Rotation of the pelvis on the ball.The balloon should be slightly deflated and inelastic.Sit on the ball with your legs extended forward.Then they perform rotational movements with the pelvis, alternating movements to the left and right - 5-10 to the left, then the same amount to the right.
- Squeeze the ball with your feet while lifting it.The ball is squeezed by the patient from the sides, then lifted off the floor with the thigh muscles.An exercise can be considered effective when the muscles of the anus work significantly during its execution.
- Legs twist 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 straight legs at an angle of 50 to 60 degrees.The ball is clamped to the side of the feet, the legs rotate like a pendulum - left and right.
That's all.We have not found any other specialized fitball exercises for prostatitis.But fitball is good in itself;we recall that excess weight is a powerful factor in the development of prostatitis.Eliminating excess weight will make it easier for men to fight against an unpleasant disease.