Prostatitis recovery period

Hi, 

Quick response coming back at you because I feel like you may have hit the nail on the head, 

I have also been lifting weights for years, never experienced any issues at all. 

I get discomfort in the same place occasionally, as well in my glutes, inner thighs. Mild but annoyingly there which is still affecting my urine flow and frequency but not massively - some days I'm completely fine and these days are becoming more frequent, ofcourse then come the bad days and its all doom and gloom for a bit.

IMO this is muscular - when you hold tension and clench those muscles from stress , lots of weights or a mixture of both, plus bad posture etc. (loads of possible reasons) it can cause the prostate to become inflammed. Again I'm not a doc but muscle relaxers will probably work for a bit, get yourself a good chiro/ortho and address the root cause. 

I've been on this path for the last 2 months and I've seen massive improvement - I'm an open minded guy and I've read a lot but when you're going to the john 16 times a day and this is halfed after working with a PT and myofacial specialist I know I'm going in the right direction and this may be the same for you. 

Keep us in the loop mate - I thought that discomfort around the pubic bone that you described was some bacteria randomly floating around for me when it was actually my muscles being all knotted up.

Hey guys,

Thought I'd quickly chime in. I've had similar pelvic issues while dealing with this wretched illness.

Although I do not have a miracle solution yet, as I am still focused on my prostate infection stage of healing, I can still give a little insight as described by my specialist.

He describes my illness/treatment as twofold, eradicating the infection and rehabilating muscle tightness in the region.

What exactly causes the tightness? Swelling and inflamation of course, but what is happening is your brain is telling the muscles in the region to protect your prostate because it is somehow weakened. The muscles are trying to enclose on the prostate and that is what causes the feeling of tightness.

I suspect that untill the prostate is fully healed it is susceptible to minor injury or irritation. And this triggers a sort of muscular defense system.

Youngman, sex seems like a common trigger as the prostate plays a major roll in ejalucation. Even though you might not feel it in the prostate, the muscular tension is acting like a sort of reflex. But don't stop having sex, I would just maybe keep it moderate. In the long run the sex should help rebuild the muscle strength/memory.

Even sitting a certain way for an extended period can trigger the muscle tightness. Use a pillow, sit ergonomically, take baths, etc...

Max, sounds like you are on the right track as far as rehabilitation goes. Hope the progress continues. When I get into the rehab stage of my treatment I will definitely post notes in here for you guys.

Cheers.

Hi Tom,

That is a very plausable theory, its all abit chicken or egg, which came first. My uro was convinced everyone has an infection to begin with, I wasn't so sure,

Seems that a lot of people who have these issues with prostatis also have pelvic floor / muslce issues, what ever came first, wondering what the best solution is,

Tom, what are your symptoms? Are you on meds at the moment?

 

Hey max,

My very first noticeable symptom about 2.5 months ago was pelvic pain exactly as described by youngman. Followed by the typical prostate and urinary symptoms.

Nowadays I have few urinary and prostate symptoms, but more so urological inflamation and muscle tightness in groin, butt, hamstring etc...

I think every case is different and some people have bacterial infections and some don't. I think your doc is right in his thinking but no two docs seem to have the same opinion on this matter.

You may have had bacteria, killed it off and are now dealing with the gradual healing process. Or perhaps you have a muscular condition and there was never bacteria. I, personally have never had any of these muscular problems prior to this infection. In my case, my doc has used objective observation to detect an infection. And he also explains that the muscular issues are a symptom of the infection.

Right now I'm halfway through two weeks of amoxi-clav. Already been through Med-long rounds of sulfatrim, cipro, and azithromycin. Start another med tomorrow, crossing my fingers it kills off the infection. different antibiotics target different bacteria, so they are not always effective. Unless you have a lab determine the specific bacteria it's kind of trial and error.

Even when I kill off the infection, and I am determined to do so, I anticipate gradual recovery/rehab. I don't think you can expect such a sensitive part of the body to be fighting an infection for months and then just go back to normal as soon as the infection is gone. It's like with any major injury. It takes time to get back to its normal functioning state. The same should apply to non bacterial, it's a lifestyle adjustment like with any rehabilitation.

I'm glad you are making progress in your recovery max, I am probably going to seek similar treatments in the near future based on your experience. But I also urge you to do those lab tests and demand the full spectrum of possible bacteria be tested.

Hi,

Yes, I suggest finding a PT who has treated the condition before. Ask around and then ask about tension in the pelvic / twisted pelvis.

So, went to the NHS uro who I've been waiting to see for 2.5 months and he basically read the wiki page out to me. He basically said that the medical world don't know what causes it unless it is the bacterial. He also said that prostatitis is typified by pain (something I haven't really experienced) and that when I had a DRE the feeling of someone touching the prostate who have been excruciating. He didn't entertain anything I was saying about muscular issues being part of the pr

Oblem at all. He said that they could only treat the symptoms as the root cause is unknown. No timeline of recovery or anything anecdotal to help me. He did a flow test and checked that no urine was left in my bladder and both were fine and told me to hold in my urine and try to retrain my bladder which I guess is good advice. He also said that if it was truly bacterial, the meds would have cleared it up quickly (I'm 6.5 months in) He prescribed me some vesicare type drug that calms down bladder contractions and sent me on my way. Thought I'd let you know as I've been on a waiting list for months for this info.

Therefore, back on the muscular route, went to the gym and I do notice heavy weights have an adverse effect on it. And again I'm back to the thoughts of this being a pychomuscular type condition. Going to start retraining my bladder, carry on being mindful and doing the pt. The nhs uro said that if I hadn't taken the antibiotics before he would give them to me again but as I already have taken them there is little point.

A note on the sexual side - I've noticed my libido has dropped although not sure whether this is to do with confidence being low from this or a physical manifestation.

Are you both quite stressed out / pensive people in general? I know this started in the middle of quite a stressful period of my life.

It seems that bacterial or not, you've seen definite improvement so this can only carry on improving as time goes on and then heal.

"He also said that if it was truly bacterial, the meds would have cleared it up quickly". My current Uro said something quite to the contrary. Basically that the prostate is a very difficult barrier for antibiotics to penetrate. Hence, most courses aim to hit hard and long. I'm currently on 1500mg/day for 12wks. Approximately 30% complete with only mild improvment noticed so far. Just thought its worth mentioning here.

Thanks David, 

Yead, I've heard about that as well so I was quite concerned when the doc said this. How is your progress?

Did they find bacteria?

David, can I ask what the 1500mg/day for 12 week was ? and did It help ?

David, can I ask what the 1500mg/day for 12 week was ? and did It help ?

Hi Zachary, 

My symptoms were frequent urination, 15-20 times in a 24 hour period, soreness in lower back, inner thighs, right calf, muscles near groin, feeling of not being able to empty bladder, split stream, spray urine etc. 

Now, urination about 8 - 10 times a day in 24 hr period, flow is all good, no split stream or spray, occasional rectal pressure and soreness but after PT these symtoms are becoming less (including the urination frequency). I think in my case I'm currently dealing with pelvic floor issues, 

Your symptoms do sound different to mine, I haven't had pain as such, 

Do these bouts occur at times of high stress? 

am dealing with stress and high stress yes.  physical therapy for this? my first bout lasted about 8 weeks but only had 2 or 3 in past 4 years and last anywhere from 1week to 2weeks then subside. pain isnt bad bad just dull achey feeling.

Hi Max,

After years of different issues, including a bladder diverticulectomy in 2000, now two doctors told me I have pelvic muscle floor syndrome. I do have a lot of stress.

After my old urologist injured or agravated me during a rectal exam in Feb 2015, I had constant dull pain or aches. It's a little less frequent now, but still pee a lot, and even though I stop drinking or eating 3-4 hrs before bed, I still awaken 3-5x per night to pee.

My urologists feels his PT will help me with pelvic exercises. The Headache in your Pelvis book states you need to do the exercises 2-3x per day to maybe see relief in 2 yrs!! But I don't seem to even have time to do them for 1/2 hr day as I also do other exercises. This new urologists thinks I will start seeing relief after only 30 min per day of exercises.

What type of PT and exercises do you do? How much time per day and how many times per week? How long before you starting seeing relief ?

Thank you very much for anything you can offer that might help me.

Bob

 

I know what it is like to get injured. The physician assistant tried to put a cathether up through the penis but it would not go. She said I was not relaxed, it turned out my prostate was so swollen it blocked entrance to the bladder. I do not quite understand what you mean regarding pelvic exercies. I am quite nervous and take diazepam to calm me down; not much; not a big dose. But just to keep me off the edge. I do weight lifitng ; all varieties. Chin Ups. Pull up, Leg raises, Curls, Dumbell front press, everything . Try it ,if you have not done it. just use light weights; It will loose you up and get rid of anxiety. I do not really know. Sure physical therapists can explain your limits and suggest a route of exercise for you. They know every muscle in the body and usually are caring people. When I see my urologist; he sees so many patients daily; I think they lose individual feeling for each patient , but maybe I am wrong. I feel a bit lost in all this too. 

Just wanted to update on useful exercises - 

This is coming from having the TIGHTEST pelvic floor and what has helped me in loosening the muscles which i turn has helped with symptoms. Please note - this has worked for me and (weirdly) my housemate who also got prostatitis earlier this year.

- Cycling

- Jogging

- Yoga (find yoga for sport sessions - trust me on this) 

- Avoiding heavy weights

- hula hoop type rotations in your hips

Give it a go and see if this helps at all - get advice from chiro - don't dismiss the possibility of it being muscle related. 

 

I noticed when I do alot of weight lifting especially leg presses and squats; my prostate gets more swollen for days. I am thinking it has to do with the excess testosterone levels that the lifting produces. I think after a certain age; your prostate can not tolerate testosterone. So what do you do ? Stop weight lifting. You get flabby .I basically eat lots of cooked vegetables and lots of garlic and that helps with swellling. My prostate is pushing against the bladder; so when I wake up; I must walk around for about 3 hours; go outside in cold and come into warm rooms and than go out; to make myself urinate and clear out bladder. Exercise also makes me urinate and the smell and taste of coffee. By noon I am ok. It is not pleasant.

 

Ive had the same as you, how did you get on in the end let me no thanks