How men can stop urinary dribbling

How men can stop urinary dribbling

There’s a urinary problem few men like to admit but many men may suffer from turning into one of the most annoying urinary occurrences for men.  What is it? It’s experiencing an involuntary loss of urine right after using the toilet, even when the bladder feels empty. This phenomenon has a medical name known as Post Micturition Dribble (PMD) and is much more common in men than women.  Men of all ages can be affected but older men are more likely to be afflicted with it.

PMD is a condition not caused by a man exerting himself or a problem with their bladder.  It’s also different from the passing of urine at the end of urination.  Typically, men with PMD urinate normally but find that the dribble of urine happens up to a minute later after urinating when the penis is placed back inside their underwear and having zipped up their trousers or jeans. The extra urine that did not come out initially when a man urinated can dribble out leading to an embarrassing situation of their clothes getting wet. 

Causes of PMD

The main cause of PMD is due to the muscles of the pelvic floor which surround the urethra, the long tube in the penis that allows urine to pass out of the body. These muscles have become weakened and are not squeezing as hard as they once did.  This weakness in these muscles can leave a small pool of urine at a dip in the urethra behind the base of the penis. Usually in less than a minute after a man believes he is finished urinating, this extra urine can dribble out.

There are several reasons why the pelvic floor muscles can be weakened:

·      Operations for an enlarged prostate

·      Continual straining to empty the bowels especially when constipated

·      Constant cough such as a smoker’s cough

·      Overweight

·      Neurological damage

·      Persistent heavy lifting

·      Older men who have had a prostatectomy

Signs of PMD

Even though signs of any urinary dysfunction are often not present and besides urinary dribbling, some men with PMD may also have symptoms of urgency, frequency, hesitancy, and straining.

Steps men can take to stop urinary dribbling

To reduce urinary dribbling from controlling your life, here are two suggestions that help control this situation:

·      Perform pelvic floor muscle exercises – When this is done correctly, this will help men to improve their bladder and bowel control to either improve or even resolve urinary leakage. The pelvic floor muscles, just like any other muscle in the body, need to be exercised to prevent them from becoming weak. To get a better understanding on how to perform these exercises correctly, all men should know how to do Kegel exercises, which help strengthen these muscles deep within the pelvis.

·      Bulbar urethral massage – This simple technique is very effective for preventing urinary dribbling. Also known as “urethral milking,” this is done right after a man’s urine stream stops in order to“milk out” the last few drops of urine. After passing urine, wait a few seconds to allow the bladder to empty. Place fingertips three-finger widths behind the scrotum and gently massage in a forward and upwards direction towards the base of the penis, under the scrotum. This action should be repeated once or twice; the purpose of this movement is to move the pooled urine into the penis which then enables a man to shake out the last few droops to prevent dribbling. It may take some practice, but once a man gets the hang of it, it can be done very quickly. After this is done, it helps also to tighten the pelvic floor muscles up strongly (up to 10 seconds, then release) which can also help to avoid embarrassing PMD.

Dr. David B. Samadi is a Urologic Oncology Expert and Robotic Surgeon located at 485 Madison Avenue on the 21st floor, New York, NY – 212-365-5000.  Follow Dr. Samadi at www.samadimd.com,  www.prostatecancer911.com, and www.roboticoncology.com.