Advancing Men’s Pelvic Health: Expert Perspectives on the Growing Need for Specialized PTs
Men’s pelvic health is a deeply under-explored area of physical therapy. While DPT programs may set aside some time to cover women’s pelvic health, the curriculum often overlooks how conditions present in men—such as with urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and chronic pelvic pain. As a result, many men struggle with health challenges that go untreated—despite being viable prospective patients.
To understand the root of this issue, we chatted with some experts at Integrated Pelvic Care (IPC): an education platform that provides evidence-based coursework about men’s pelvic health. “Many physical therapists want to help male patients, but they lack the structured training to do so effectively,” says Dr. Di Wu, PT, MScA, MMed, MBBS, cofounder, president, and CEO of IPC. And that knowledge gap is exactly what he and Zhen Chen, M.Sc, PT, cofounder and COO of IPC, hope to address.
A Forgotten Niche
Research shows that, while 1 in 6 men experience pelvic floor dysfunction during their lifetime, they wait an average of 4.2 years before seeking help. These conditions are both common and highly treatable, yet many men continue to live with symptoms that affect their confidence, relationships, and overall well-being.
In many DPT programs, the topic of pelvic health receives only a brief overview—and it typically focuses on women’s health. The result? Men’s pelvic health becomes a textual footnote. Without that early exposure, many students graduate without realizing that men’s pelvic health is a distinct and rewarding area of practice.
Advocacy in Action
Years ago, Dr. Wu (then a practicing orthopedic surgeon) performed surgery on a male patient who later experienced pelvic floor complications. That patient’s suboptimal outcome stayed with him, prompting Dr. Wu to pursue physical therapy education to better understand and support recovery in such cases. When he later attended a master of physical therapy program in Canada, he found that:
- The school’s pelvic floor curriculum focused only on women, and
- Only female students could enroll in the course, as students practiced therapies on each other.
Not wanting to waste an opportunity to learn, Dr. Wu approached the faculty and explained his reasoning for wanting to enter the program. They accepted him with appropriate modifications, thus beginning his educational journey in male pelvic health.
After graduating and reentering the medical field as an MPT, Dr. Wu and fellow PT Zhen Chen co-founded IPC with the goal of teaching other physical therapists about the “trifecta” of men’s pelvic health (i.e., pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, and urinary issues). “Our goal was to make this education digestible, more effective, and fun to learn,” says Dr. Wu. “This way care is consistent and easier to deliver across all of the patients you’ll come across.”
Specialized Training—and Why it Matters
In clinical practice, Dr. Wu encounters men who experience a wide range of symptoms, ranging from chronic pelvic pain, bladder issues, to complications post-prostate surgery and beyond. Many of his patients often wake up more than five times a night to use the bathroom, causing significant disruption to their sleep and quality of life.
“Men often suffer quietly, thinking their symptoms are a normal part of aging or weakness,” Chen says. “We work to normalize these conversations and show that effective treatment is available. Education extends not just to therapists but also to patients so they understand they are not alone.”
For PTs, treating men in this specialty involves learning both technical skills and communication strategies—like how to ask sensitive questions, create trust with your patients, and explain pelvic health in ways that reduce fear and shame. This kind of focused training improves the patient experience ten-fold, and ultimately patient outcomes.
Patients, Pelvic Health, and Accessibility
The need for men’s pelvic health specialists is great, especially as more patients become aware that their conditions are treatable. “It’s urgent that more PTs join the world of men’s pelvic health,” Chen says. “Men are often going to ChatGPT and finding treatments that don’t often work for their specific conditions. Men deserve access to proper care.”
IPC is working to make that possible by offering both in-person and online courses about men’s pelvic health, helping PTs (wherever they’re located) learn the hands-on skills and evidence-based knowledge needed to treat this population.
“Every patient who gets timely care and experiences improvement is a win,” Dr. Wu says. “Our vision is a world where men no longer have to suffer in silence, and where pelvic health care is accessible and effective.”
If you’re interested in learning more about men’s pelvic health physical therapy, IPC offers a selection of free mini-courses designed for clinicians and students entering the specialty. These resources are a valuable starting point for building foundational knowledge and considering whether specializing in men’s pelvic health is right for you. Visit ipc.health/freeresources to explore these free educational tools and learn how to get involved in this growing specialty.
