Best Exercises for Enlarged Prostate Relief

How Exercise Can Help Shrink an Enlarged Prostate

Studies show that exercise is a natural and effective way to enhance the body’s immune response and reduce inflammation, which is linked to abnormal prostate tissue growth.

While the exact cause of BPH isn’t fully understood, reducing inflammation through exercise may help prevent or slow prostate enlargement and help alleviate BPH symptoms.

Top 5 Enlarged Prostate Exercises

Here are five ways to improve your prostate health naturally, and from the comfort of home.

Complete these exercises three times a week:

Kegel exercises

Kegel exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder, bowel, and sexual function. Here’s how to find the right muscles and ensure you’re using the proper technique:

• Find the right muscles
  To engage your pelvic floor muscles, practice tightening and releasing the muscles you use to keep from passing gas or stop urinating midstream.
• When to do them
  You can do these exercises while sitting, standing, or walking.
• How to do them
  Squeeze and hold the pelvic floor muscles for three seconds and repeat several times. The key is to avoid engaging muscles in your stomach, thighs, or buttocks.

Yoga poses that improve circulation and relaxation

Yoga is another way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, reduce pelvic tension, reduce stress, and improve bladder control (making it easier to urinate). Try these poses to release pelvic tension around the prostate:

• Cobbler Pose
  Sit with your feet together and your knees apart.
• Hero Pose 
  Kneel, widen the space between your feet, and sit back.
• Reclining Big Toe Pose
  Lie on your back, extend one leg, flex your foot, and draw your knee toward your chest. Repeat with the other leg.
• Head-to-Knee Pose
  Sit with one leg extended. Fold forward on the extended leg. Repeat with the other leg.
• Bow Pose
  Lie on your stomach, life legs, chest, and arms at the same time.
• Shoulder Stand
  Lie on your back and extend both legs upward. Support your back with your hands.

Aerobic exercises to enhance overall body function

Engaging in aerobic exercises can also help reduce BPH symptoms. They are known to improve circulation, reduce inflammation and decrease sympathetic nervous system activity, associated with increased prostatic symptoms.

At Georgia Prostate Institute, our specialists will evaluate your overall health and wellness and recommend one or more of the following exercises to alleviate symptoms of BPH:

• Walking
• Cycling
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Stair Climbing
• Elliptical

Pilates to strengthen pelvic muscles and improve bladder control

Pilates is another good way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, and it can help with bladder control. Here are five reasons for you to do Pilates—especially if you have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate:

• Develop and strengthen often neglected muscle groups (e.g., the pelvic floor muscles)
• Build core strength to alleviate pressure on the bladder and surrounding organs.
• Improve flexibility to support better bladder control and muscle relaxation as needed in the pelvic region.

Resistance training for weight management

Resistance training can help you lose and maintain a healthy weight, which is excellent for your overall health. However, it is also important for strengthening your core and pelvic muscles, which support better bladder control and urine flow.

Additional Exercises for Prostate Health Maintenance

Depending on the root cause of your prostate enlargement or BPH, you may want to consider one or more of the following exercises to target specific health issues:

Cardio exercises to enhance blood flow to the prostate

Cardio exercises include any aerobic activity that increases your heart rate and improves overall blood circulation.

If you are in good health and your doctor recommends cardio exercises to support prostate health, consider low-impact exercises like swimming or brisk walking to get your blood pumping.

Strength training for hormone balance

According to research, higher levels of physical activity may help reduce testosterone levels. Testosterone is a male hormone known for controlling prostate growth and fueling the development of BPH when levels are higher than average.

Flexibility exercises for stress relief

Flexibility exercises like yoga or tai chi can help alleviate the symptoms of BPH because they strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and help relieve stress and inflammation.

Exercise Alone Is Not a Cure for BPH

While each of these exercises can help alleviate symptoms of an enlarged prostate or BPH, they do not address the underlying health issue. For many men struggling with an enlarged prostate, the best way to alleviate uncomfortable or worrisome symptoms is through medication, minimally invasive treatments, or surgery, like Prostatic Artery Embolization (PAE).

The skilled specialists at Georgia Prostate Institute are on the leading edge of PAE Research and provide long-term relief from BPH symptoms and improving your quality of life.