Affecting around 10% of men in the U.S., erectile dysfunction can cause problems within their intimate life as well as depression and anxiety, but we want you to know that almost all cases of erectile dysfunction are treatable.
Erectile dysfunction is defined by the National Institute of Health as the “inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance”.
The symptoms of erectile dysfunction can occur when a man desires to have sexual intimacy.
The underlying causes of erectile dysfunction can be experienced by all men, regardless of lifestyle, as they are commonly classified as neurogenic, arteriogenic, venogenic, or psychogenic. As the pelvic floor muscles and nerves need to function optimally to achieve full erections, pelvic floor hypertonia is a common cause of underlying erectile dysfunction that is often overlooked. With Pelvic floor hypertonia, the pelvic nerves are compressed with decreased blood flow and the pelvic floor muscles are short, spastic, and weak. This combination will lead to erectile dysfunction.
Decreased blood flow to pelvic nerves (seen in Pelvic Floor Hypertonia)
Stress
Pelvic floor muscle spasms
Injury to the genital region
Taking certain medications
Many men may experience erectile dysfunction in their lives, but there are certain factors that may increase the risk of this condition which can include the status of their health and lifestyle.
Heart disease
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Age
Sedentary lifestyle
Diagnosing erectile dysfunction and the issues that are causing it requires us working with a Urologist. At PRM we will provide an in-depth examination of both the nerves and muscles within the pelvis to evaluate if these are contributing to your erectile dysfunction, learning of your medical history, and getting a full picture of your symptoms and lifestyle.
Here’s what you can expect when you are a patient at Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine:
Step One – First, our providers will ask questions about your medical history and listen to your symptoms to get a full picture of what is going on with you.
Step Two – Next, an external exam of your hips, abdomen, and posterior sacrum.
Step Three – Next, your pelvic nerves are evaluated externally with a soft cotton tip.
Step Four – Next, with your consent, gel is placed on a gloved finger and an internal exam is performed to allow us to evaluate the nerves and muscles within the pelvis. There is no speculum required as we are evaluating the pelvic floor muscles and nerves not the organs.
Step Five – Sometimes patients will need Imaging to help us understand if there is an associated cause of the pelvic nerve and muscle pain and dysfunction found on exam.
Step Six – Oftentimes, treatment can be started the same day as there is no down time. Our patients have been suffering with pelvic pain symptoms for 6+ months. We like to get them on the road to feeling better as soon as we can as the longer the symptoms are present the harder it is for us to resolve them.
Once a proper diagnosis has been given, we offer a proprietary office-based procedure to treat the causes of erectile dysfunction. This treatment consists of a series of pelvic nerve and muscle treatments to directly target the spastic pelvic floor muscles, inflammation in the pelvis, and nerve pain. Depending on the underlying causes of your erectile dysfunction, other modalities may be needed in addition to our treatment.