Two out of ten women suffer from pain and as many men, erectile dysfunction - The Province

About 20% of the world population, both men and women, suffer the main sexual dysfunctions, ie, pain during the relationship or dyspareunia and erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation them, according to the data provided by the Official Physiotherapy College of the Canary Islands (COFC) for the course on the subject taught during the last weekend.

With the title Physiotherapeutic treatment of chronic pelvic pain and painful sexual dysfunctions and a duration of 30 hours, the postgraduate seminar given by the Catalan professionals Laia Blanco, Stéphane Kauffmann and Inés Ramírez brought together 24 students from different islands from Friday to Sunday in the collegiate seat of the capital of Gran Canaria. "There is very little training, however, many patients come for another type of problem such as urinary incontinence or pelvic pain but, in reality, it is associated with a sexual dysfunction, more than a priori can be thought, they do not usually count in the first consultation, usually causes quite modesty ", explains the coordinator of the Commission of Physiotherapy of Uroginecology and Obstetrics of the COFC, Mónica Vargas, professional in exercise in Lanzarote.

For example, "practically 40% of women in postpartum have some type of pain in sexual relationships, the most typical dysfunction in the female population," Vargas detailed before indicating erectile dysfunction as the main among men, estimated at 19% of males aged 25 to 70 in Spain. "It is quite important and is often associated with prostate surgeries, which can cause a problem of urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction, although if the woman has difficulty recognizing that she has a problem on the pelvic floor, the man much more", The school official stands out as a possible cause of the higher presence of women than men in their practice due to sexual disorders.

They also have a higher incidence women due to childbirth, menopause or other "hormonal or metabolic changes that predispose and influence sexual dysfunction more," says Monica Vargas in tune with the teachers of the course, who just observe differences between the Islands and the Peninsula: "It's just as taboo"

"Also young girls"

However, Laia Blanco and Stéphane Kauffmann do not limit the problems to specific life cycles: "We also find many young girls who, before pregnancy, already have pain in relationships for different reasons, usually do not consult the gynecologist and live it in silence but, when asked in university surveys, for example, surprising numbers come out, a prevalence of 20% of the population ".

In addition to erectile dysfunction, Blanco and Kauffmann cite premature ejaculation as "very prevalent" dysfunction among men, although the consultation occurs "normally at the request of the couple." The male reaches orgasm easily, but the couple claims more time for full enjoyment ", argue the teachers of the collegiate course on physiotherapy treatments for sexual dysfunctions.

Although the solution is usually associated with pharmacological or psychological therapies, Catalan professionals recall in a telephone conversation that "there are many dysfunctions that have a functional cause, they are not the result of a biochemical imbalance, but of a musculoskeletal lack of harmony, for example, a simple contracture can cause a lot of pain in sexual relations, both in penetration and in coital movement, but sometimes it can be improved with tissue irrigation or elasticity. " As a remedy, the physios propose, "to a greater extent, manual therapy, it is not a relaxation massage, but specific myofascial techniques to normalize the tensions of each of the tissues, but electrotherapy can also be used to improve tissue quality. , not by currents but by radiofrequency ".

For this reason, Laia Blanco and Stéphane Kauffmann prioritize the sessions in the consultation, where respiratory techniques are also used, as opposed to the individual exercises of the patient at home. From now on, some twenty professionals from the Canary Islands, at least, already have specific training to deal with sexual dysfunctions through physiotherapeutic treatment in their respective consultations.

Finally, Laia Blanco, Stéphane Kauffmann and Inés Ramírez underline that "sexual intercourse should never be painful and, if it is, it should not be forced, the situation worsens, but consult the why." And if the first doctor or health care provider consulted He says nothing is wrong, do not settle for consulting another specialist. " In fact, "health workers do not even ask patients how their sexual function is, they do not know how to manage it, so it is important that professionals are increasingly trained, in fact, patients say they did not consult their doctor because It was going to bother, sex is part of health and life. "