In New York, there is a growing number of young patients with penile and bladder pain. Many live with symptoms for decades, embarrassed to seek help. 'A 34-year-old trader thinks frequent trips to the bathroom are normal,' says Dr. Woodard in a Bloomberg article.
Men in the finance and corporate law sectors, who lead a sedentary lifestyle and experience stress, are particularly susceptible to this problem. Despite the fact that pelvic floor dysfunction affects up to 30% of people, it remains little known.
Physical therapists like William Klein note an increase in patients coming in after the first symptoms due to social media and recommendations from TikTok. Previously, patients would see several urologists before reaching them.
The cause of dysfunction is stress, leading to hyperactivity of the pelvic floor muscles. Physical therapists often refer patients for psychotherapy due to the connection of the problem with anxiety and depression.
According to Woodard, this is an evolutionary 'fight or flight' response, which today manifests due to work stress. In the first sessions, he explains to men that bladder and sexual function issues are not normal.
