Do Kegel Exercises Help Treat Enlarged Prostate? (BPH)

Kegel exercises are commonly and easily performed little workouts that may help with urinary symptoms like frequency, urgency, leakage, and loss of control. For men with BPH or enlarged prostates, they may also experience these symptoms. But do Kegels cure and treat BPH?

The short answer is… no.

Although these exercises are great for pelvic floor muscles, sphincter function, and strength, they unfortunately do not address the problem of having a large prostate. As the prostate enlarges and grows, the bladder will compensate by adapting and learning to squeeze harder, more often, and sometimes too much. When men develop BPH symptoms like frequency, urgency, waking up at night to urinate, weak stream, loss of urine control, or inability to urinate, it is likely the bladder reacting to blockage caused by the prostate. In extreme cases, the bladder may sometimes work hard for a period of time and then go into failure, causing retention of urine or the inability to urinate at all.

While Kegel exercises may help alleviate some symptoms, they do not address the problem of the prostate itself. Most often than not, treatments focused on BPH and enlarged prostate will actually help treat and resolve these urinary symptoms in men. To avoid potential issues like bladder failure, it is important to undergo evaluation earlier, while symptoms may be mild.

For BPH cases that require more aggressive intervention, common surgical solutions include Urolift, Aquablation, iTind, Rezum, and HoLEP. Our Austin urologist will assess the right treatment plan upon examination.

If you have any bothersome urinary symptoms at all it is important to discuss them with either your family physician or to undergo evaluation with a urologist. Dr. Shaw and the staff at Austin Urology Institute are highly rated and acclaimed urologists in the Austin and Greater Austin area who are available to help with and treat any urinary issues.