Men’s Pelvic Health: Assessment, Clinical Reasoning and Treatment

Participants who register for this course have the option to attend the course live-online and/or watch the recording later. The recording will be available to all registrants for a 6-week period and access is provided on the next business day following the course. This allows participants who may not be able to attend live-online to still benefit from the course content.

Course Description:

This evidence-informed one-day course provides clinicians with a practical framework for assessing and managing common men’s pelvic health conditions. Rather than viewing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), sexual dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain as isolated presentations, the course follows the patient journey through male pelvic anatomy, lower urinary tract function, prostate cancer and radical prostatectomy rehabilitation, sexual dysfunction, chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome (CPPPS) and hard flaccid syndrome.

Throughout the day, participants will develop the clinical reasoning skills needed to determine what is driving a patient’s symptoms, and when onward referral is appropriate. Rather than teaching isolated conditions, the course presents a structured pelvic floor rehabilitation continuum, enabling clinicians to manage complex, overlapping presentations with greater confidence.

Topics include male pelvic anatomy, lower urinary tract function, urinary incontinence, post-prostatectomy rehabilitation, erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome, hard flaccid syndrome, rehabilitation progression, red flags and case-based clinical reasoning.

The course is designed for clinicians seeking a practical, evidence-informed approach to assessment, rehabilitation and clinical decision-making across the spectrum of men’s pelvic health.

Course Aim

To provide clinicians with a practical, evidence-informed framework for assessing and managing common men’s pelvic health presentations, including urinary incontinence, post-prostatectomy rehabilitation, erectile and sexual dysfunction, chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome and hard flaccid syndrome, using a structured rehabilitation continuum and clinical reasoning approach

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe clinically relevant male pelvic anatomy and lower urinary tract physiology.
2. Explain the relationship between the pelvic floor, lower urinary tract, bowel, sexual function, pain and movement.
3. Differentiate common lower urinary tract, sexual and pelvic pain presentations, including:
   • Stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
   • Urgency urinary incontinence (UUI)
   • Post-micturition dribble
   • Terminal dribble/Overactive bladder
   • Post-prostatectomy urinary and sexual dysfunction
   • Chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome
   • Hard flaccid syndrome
4. Recognize the effects of prostate cancer treatment, including radical prostatectomy, on urinary continence, sexual function, pelvic floor function and quality of life.
5. Recognize the effects of prostate cancer treatment, including radical prostatectomy, on urinary continence, sexual function, pelvic floor function and quality of life.
6. Apply a structured assessment framework for men presenting with lower urinary tract, sexual and pelvic pain symptoms.
7. Design a progressive rehabilitation program following radical prostatectomy, including early recovery, continence rehabilitation, return to activity and return to exercise.
8. Differentiate between increased tone, decreased tone, poorly coordinated and pain-protective pelvic floor presentations.
9. Explain the role of pelvic floor rehabilitation within the multidisciplinary management of erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and male sexual health.
10. Describe chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome as a multifactorial condition involving pain mechanisms, pelvic floor behaviour, urinary, bowel, sexual, musculoskeletal and psychosocial contributors.
11. Select evidence-informed management strategies for chronic primary pelvic pain syndrome, including education, down training, manual therapy (where clinically indicated), graded movement, strengthening, flare management and self-management.
12. Explain hard flaccid syndrome using a clinically grounded biopsychosocial and pelvic pain framework.
13. Recognize red flags and identify when referral to urology, primary care, pain medicine, psychology, psychosexual therapy or other specialist services is indicated.
14. Apply a pelvic floor rehabilitation continuum to progress patients from symptom management through movement confidence, functional capacity and performance.
15. Integrate case-based clinical reasoning to prioritize assessment, treatment and rehabilitation progression for men with overlapping urinary, sexual and pelvic pain presentations.
16. Apply clinical reasoning to determine:
    • What is driving the patient’s symptoms.
    • Whether the pelvic floor requires relaxation, coordination, strengthening or progressive loading.
    • How urinary, sexual, bowel and pain symptoms interact.
    • When rehabilitation is appropriate and when further investigation or referral is required.

Audience: This course is intended for qualified healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists, naturopaths, nurses, physicians, occupational therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, and other clinicians working in pelvic health, musculoskeletal, or rehabilitation settings.

Prerequisite: Completion of a Level 1 (entry-level) course in pelvic health assessment is recommended. Previous training in male internal pelvic floor examination is beneficial but not essential, as this course focuses on evidence-informed assessment, rehabilitation, and clinical reasoning rather than teaching internal examination techniques. Clinicians who perform internal examinations should do so only if this is within their professional scope of practice, training, and local regulations.