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 diseases, including prostatitis.Of course, physical activity is not useful in all cases of prostatitis - there are forms of the disease in which treatment with physical exercises is strictly contraindicated.But the benefits of prescribing therapeutic exercises to a man with prostatitis cannot be overstated.Physical therapy is a simple, economical, accessible and effective remedy for this disease.
About prostatitis
Before treating prostatitis with gymnastic exercises, you need to know the characteristics of this disease.Having the necessary information will allow you to effectively treat the disease with physical exercises, as well as to avoid the use of physical therapy (physical therapy) in cases where it can be harmful.
Prostate
Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate (prostate).This organ plays an important role in a man's sexual life, synthesizing the hormone "dihydrotestosterone", which enables attraction to the weaker sex and erection of the penis.The prostate produces a secretion that, when mixed with semen, makes it liquid and able to pass through the urethra.This secret also affects the sperm, making them motile, strong and viable.
The prostate is located below the bladder, attached to the urethra.The secret produced by the organ enters the urethra through communication channels.When the prostate becomes inflamed, its tissues expand and squeeze the ureter from the sides - this impairs the passage of the urethra.The problem with urination is the most characteristic sign of prostatitis.To this should be added the symptoms of intense pain in the pelvic area and impotence.
Types of prostatitis
Inflammation of the prostate can occur due to congestion in the pelvic area and the penetration of an infectious agent into the prostate tissue.A rarer cause of inflammation is the beginning 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;
- contagious;
- hyperplasiogenic.
Causes of disease
Prostatitis is a disease that a man can rarely avoid during his life.The disease is a disease associated with aging - it mainly affects middle-aged and elderly men, but recently young people are also becoming more and more affected.Why is that so?
The present time is the era of sedentary lifestyle.This fact is striking considering the strong dynamics demonstrated by modernity – people do multiple jobs, managing to accomplish dozens of different things in one day.But when you dig deeper into what's going on, it becomes clear: out of three jobs, two are freelance, which is done at home on a computer;you don't have to walk if you have a car;food can be ordered online and delivered to your home address.So, despite all possible activities, men are sedentary.
Physical inactivity is the cause of poor blood circulation in the body.Like any other hydrodynamic system, the circulatory system needs dynamic circulation.Let's 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 the condition of dynamic influence.And the circulatory system functions normally only when a person is moving.
The permanent position of a freelancer, vehicle driver or office worker is in a sitting position.Our body is adapted to sitting;gluteal muscles help a person in this, they can level the pressure on the pelvic circulatory system for a long time.But long-term sitting tires the muscles, causing long-term compression syndrome - a pathological phenomenon that is harmful to men's health.The heavier the man, the shorter the shock-absorbing function of the buttocks - 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 2-4 cups of coffee a day, and prefers beer and computer games in the evening.Coffee and beer are drinks that are very harmful to the prostate;Add to this smoking and prolonged sitting and we get a high probability of developing prostatitis.
To summarize the above, we will list 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 gymnastic training is a solution for many men who prefer a sedentary lifestyle.The possibility to cure an illness with a short break from the computer at home is exactly what suits the modern man.
Therapeutic exercise in the treatment of prostatitis
Physical therapy for prostatitis has been used for a long time and successfully 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 the treatment of 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, feeding the tissues with the necessary substances.A man who performs special exercises against prostatitis can ensure that the congestion in the pelvic area stops, that the dead cells are washed away by the blood stream, that the prostate tissue is renewed and that the inflammation disappears.In addition, training will strengthen the body.Therefore, gymnastic exercises will not only cure prostatitis, but will also help improve a man's health.However, exercise cannot be used unconditionally in all cases of the disease.Let's look at the list of contraindications for the use of physical exercises 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 sensitive to dynamic effects and can be damaged.Exacerbation causes severe pain, exercise intensifies it further, 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 can be cycling, some poses to pump up the abs.
- Exercises for the treatment of 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 doctor 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 relieve the patient's condition, provided that everything is done properly.And for the avoidance of doubt, let's see what exercises you can do.
Classical therapeutic gymnastics
Traditional therapeutic exercises for prostatitis appeared as early as the time of the ancient Greeks.The founder of this type of gymnastics was Doctor Herodics, who was a very remarkable person: seriously ill with "a disease that affects the respiratory system", he promoted in Greece a set of exercises that could put any patient on his feet.He was a very famous healer - the philosopher Plato wrote about him with enthusiasm.Herodic gymnastics was used to treat many diseases, including prostatitis.The discipline, founded by a doctor, became the prototype of modern exercise therapy.Herodic's exercises have come down to us in images depicted on amphorae and frescoes.Among them are those recommended by modern andrology for the treatment of prostatitis:
- Standing hip lift.A man in a standing position, keeping his back straight, alternately raises his thigh parallel to the floor.The position of the back should not change during the performance of the task.
- Lying hip lift.The patient, in a lying position, brings the hips together and raises them perpendicular to the axis of the floor.When performing the task, your back should remain on the floor without leaving it.
- Squat.The patient holds 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 the task.You can't lift your heels off the ground.
- Raising the buttocks off the floor.The patient, resting his elbows and feet on the floor, bends upwards, lifting his buttocks off the ground.
- Scissors while lying on your back.A man in a supine 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 floor!
- Scissors while lying on your stomach.The exercise is performed similarly to ordinary scissors, only the position of the patient changes - he lies on his stomach.
- Bicycle.A man, lying on his back, raises his legs 45 degrees and pedals an imaginary bicycle in the air.
The exercises we have listed 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 flawlessly right away.It is important to understand what is right and strive for it.
Attention!When performing physical exercises for prostatitis, it is recommended to warm up - jumping, clapping hands, shaking the body and limbs, running in place.Exercises are done 10 times in 3 approaches, starting with 5 times in 1 approach.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 exercises.
The advantage of yoga is its extreme popularity in modern society;there is a lot of educational material on the Internet - videos, books.With that in mind, we will recommend some exercises from this discipline that can help a man fight prostatitis:
- surya namaskar (set of morning exercises);
- Chandra Namaskar (set of evening exercises);
- kapalabgati (abdominal breathing technique);
- "lotus" asana with heel inversion in the groin;
- "Makarasana" asana (relaxation pose) - from 15 minutes to an hour;
- "Viparita Karani" asana (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 the poses is important and should also be agreed with the specialist.Asanas are not performed alone;they are done in combination with other exercises.The duration of the class is individual and depends on the patient's physical fitness.
Kegel exercises for the treatment of prostatitis
Basically, the gymnastics developed by dr.Kegel aims to prevent various male diseases, but there is one exercise that has a therapeutic effect precisely on the inflamed prostate - it is "tension of the muscles of the pelvic floor".The essence of the exercise is to tense the muscles that a person uses during the act of defecation, not the buttocks, as one might think.It is recommended that the bowels are empty.Or, as an option, you should do the exercise while sitting on the toilet seat - this will save the patient from the unpleasant consequences of the exercise.You don't have to push with the abdominal muscles, but with those surrounding the rectum and sphincter.The doctor advises pushing as if the patient wants to recover the prostate.Patients perceive the inflamed organ as a foreign object stuck in the rectum.The patient's efforts should be directed at his imagined "defection".The exercise should be done 2-3 times a day for 5-10 minutes.
Physical exercises for prostatitis, performed under the strict guidance of professionals, can bring significant benefits to the male body.
Fitball
Fitball (not to be confused with "soccer") is a type of aerobics (fitness) that uses a large (up to a meter in diameter) ball.Fitball organically complements aerobics, adding a strength factor to it.Fitball allows you to achieve weight loss in a fairly short time.This quality attracts many people to this type of fitness.Obesity is a factor that significantly complicates the course of prostatitis.After getting rid of excess weight, you can start regular exercises from the complex of exercise therapy for prostatitis.What exercises for prostatitis are there in fitball?Let's list them:
- Pelvic rotation on the ball.The ball should be slightly deflated and inelastic.Sit on the ball with your legs extended forward.Then they make rotational movements with the pelvis, alternating left and right movements - 5-10 to the left, then the same amount to the right.
- Hugging the ball with the legs when lifting.The patient hugs the ball from the side and then lifts it off the floor with the thigh muscles.The exercise can be considered effective when the muscles of the anus work significantly during its performance.
- The leg turns with the ball.You need a ball with a diameter of up to 50 cm;a larger one will not work.A man lies on his back and lifts the ball with straight legs at an angle of 50-60 degrees.The ball is clamped on the side of the foot, the legs rotate like a pendulum - left and right.
That's all.We could not find other specialized fitball exercises against prostatitis.But fitball is good in itself;we remember that excess weight is a strong factor in the development of prostatitis.Removing excess weight will make it easier for men to fight against an unpleasant disease.