Clinical review
Reviewer: Jeremy Steinberg, GP, FRNZCGP
Date of review: September 2018
Comments: This app is for men with erectile dysfunction and potentially those with urinary incontinence. However pelvic floor exercises are not commonly recommended in men. This app is the cousin to the women’s “Squeezy” app for pelvic floor exercises. Its features are similar except that the men’s version does not include a bladder diary.
The app helps men do pelvic floor exercises, and it does this very well. It allows for a self-guided or physiotherapist-guided exercise program, instructions and reminders. Pelvic floor exercises are not commonly recommended for men unlike with women, where incontinence is much rarer. There is some limited evidence that it can be helpful for erectile dysfunction and so it could be considered in this context.1 Trials on urinary incontinence have tended to focus on treatment following prostatectomy, and they have not shown consistent benefit for improvement of urinary incontinence.2 The app neglects to mention this.
The information is very similar across the two versions, and so I would recommend buying the women’s version instead because of the extra features. There is not very much information relevant to men. It costs $6.49 with there being no free version available.Unfortunately, neither version include a section of bladder retraining which could be helpful for those with urge incontinence. If you have urinary incontinence, see your doctor in the first instance.
Safety concerns: No safety concerns. There is information about when you should see your doctor.
New Zealand relevance: Developed for the NHS in the UK, however it is still definitely relevant for the NZ context. It also has links to relevant organisations in NZ.
References
- Dorey G, Speakman MJ, Feneley RCL, Swinkels A, Dunn CDR. Pelvic floor exercises for erectile dysfunction. BJU Int. 2005 Sep 1;96(4):595–7.
- Glazener C, Boachie C, Buckley B, Cochran C, Dorey G, Grant A, et al. Urinary incontinence in men after formal one-to-one pelvic-floor muscle training following radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate (MAPS): two parallel randomised controlled trials. Lancet Lond Engl. 2011 Jul 23;378(9788):328–37.
