Prostate massage therapy
Prostate massage therapy is the practice of massaging the male prostate either for medical or therapeutic reasons. The use of prostate massage therapy is anecdotally supported for a range of conditions. These conditions include erectile dysfunction and chronic prostatitis.
Prostatic massage is thought to help clear the prostatic duct. This duct, or pipeline, runs between your prostate and the rest of your reproductive and urinary system. Massaging may produce a spontaneous secretion of fluid. This secretion may help clear this duct of any fluids. This could help eliminate any symptoms you’re experiencing.
Medical research findings don’t widely support the use of prostate massage. Most reports of prostate massage’s benefits are anecdotal or result from
Benefits
- This therapy may clear your prostatic duct.
- Clearing excess fluid may reduce or relieve your symptoms.
Most
However, certain groups of men may benefit from prostate massage. Men with the following conditions may find symptomatic relief when they use prostate massage:
Painful ejacul*tion
Massage therapy may ease fluid blockages in your reproductive system. These kinks may cause you to experience discomfort or pain while ejacul*ting. Massage might eliminate them.
Erectile dysfunction
Before today’s more modern treatment options, men used massage therapy and prostate stimulation to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). Some men still use it today along with other ED treatments or alone. More mainstream ED treatments include medications, pumps, and implants.
Urine flow
The prostate surrounds your urethra. As swelling and inflammation in the prostate increase, the prostate may begin to interfere with or even cut off your flow of urine. If prostate massage therapy helps eliminate some of that swelling, your urine flow may improve.
Prostatitis
Before antibiotics and more specialized treatments were available, massage therapy was the primary treatment for prostatitis. Now that doctors understand a bit more about the multitude of disorders that make up the prostatitis diagnosis, treatments have become more specialized.
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Risks
- Massaging the prostate too vigorously may increase your symptoms.
- You shouldn’t use electronic prostate massagers without formal training.
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The medical community doesn’t widely support prostate massage. It hasn’t been shown to be more helpful than typical treatments. However, men many find relief when they use this treatment option either alone or with another treatment option. Commonly, men may use both massage therapy and antibiotics.
People who perform prostate massage therapy without any formal training can do serious harm to your reproductive system. Massaging the prostate too vigorously or with too much pressure could increase your symptoms or cause new issues.
You shouldn’t use an electronic prostate massager without training and instruction from a medical professional. Several electronic massagers are available for purchase today. Many of them are marketed as sex toys. This is because stimulation of the prostate can be pleasurable to some men.
Because this practice isn’t widely supported in the medical community, finding a qualified prostate massage therapist may be difficult. Ask your doctor for a list of recommendations.
You can also call your local hospital’s outreach office. Many of these offices keep information on certified medical practitioners in the area. They may be able to provide you with a list of names.
Most health insurance companies won’t cover the cost of going to a prostate massage therapist. However, if your doctor performs the massage during an office visit, your medical insurance may cover the cost of the service.
A prostate massage is a lot like a digital rectal exam (DRE). Urologists routinely use DREs to check the prostate for lumps, changes, or other signs of possible cancer. Your doctor may perform a DRE to obtain an expressed prostatic secretion that can be further examined for signs of prostatitis, infection, or other disorders.
During a prostate massage, the person performing the massage will insert a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum. They’ll gently press on, or massage, the prostate for several minutes. If this massage is painful, tell the person preforming the massage. The massage might be uncomfortable for a few moments, but it shouldn’t be painful.
How frequently you have a prostate massage is up to you and your doctor or the treating professional. You can expect to attend several sessions each week for at least a month. Then, you may be able to reduce the number of visits.
Before you try this therapy, speak with your doctor about what you can expect. In most cases, you’ll need to plan for multiple sessions of prostate massage over several weeks to several months. One session rarely helps with most conditions.
You may notice temporary relief from your symptoms. These may return in several hours or days. After your next massage session, the symptoms might disappear again. As you undergo more massage, the symptoms may stop returning as quickly. Ultimately, the goal is for the massage to eliminate the symptoms and signs of a problem entirely.
Current scientific findings don’t widely support the use of prostate massage over a long period of time. You shouldn’t need to utilize prostate massage therapy for a long period. If your issues don’t resolve after several weeks of massage therapy, your doctor may need to investigate stronger treatment options.
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