Exercise with Peyronies - what's safe and what isn't?

[ashtown]

It seems clear that to fight Peyronies we should do all we can to promote naturally good health, which must theoretically include exercise especially for the circulation benefits. What I'm wondering though is what's safe and what isn't? Also are there any precautions people are taking during exercise to protect our most delicate asset?


Unfortunately I'm a bit hazy about the timing but it seems that my first pain with erections occurred around or not long after I started doing quite a few kettle bell swings with a 25 kilo (53 pounds) weight. For those who are unfamiliar this involves swinging a heavy weight between your legs and using the momentum to lift the weight to around chest height. One of the key points is to use the hips and tighten the buttocks rather than using the arms and it's a very intensive full body workout.


I had done these before but on a less demanding level and when I restarted I began to make terrific progress, so increased it to 3x30 reps per day, yet now I wonder if it might even have caused my Peyronies Disease. I am pretty sure that I couldn't have done any direct physical damage because the weight never hit my penis but when you are squeezing everything tight while swinging a heavy weight could that be a problem? I actually mentioned this to a doctor and he just shook his head to say it couldn't have caused Peyronies. Then again he also told me there was no treatment for Peyronies Disease.


Since the first doctor told me he thought I had Peyronies Disease I have basically stopped all exercise apart from gentle dog walking, however last night I decided to try some pushups with my legs raised on a chair using those rotating pushup discs that put make the muscles work harder and after just a dozen or so I felt my penis tightening up and shrinking while I was exercising. It returned to normal a while after I stopped but again I wondered why an exercise of this kind would be doing that because I can't remember anything similar in the past.


Obviously there is a wide range of ages and physical fitness on this forum and some will will have other health issues as well so I know we will all have different ideas on what is right for exercise but with specific regard to Peyronies I'd be interested in hearing any recommendations or warnings for exercise and how to help our case rather than do more damage.  

[finarod]

so I felt my penis tightening up and shrinking while I was exercising. It returned to normal a while after I stopped but again I wondered why an exercise of this kind would be doing that because I can't remember anything similar in the past.

i had noticed the same thing... i used to be an athlete, a normal penis would also become smaller and shrink while exercising, because the blood flow is concentrated within the muscles that work rather than your penis (my coach told me that when i was 16). i continued running as a semi-professional even after i acquired the plaque, and i could definitely say the sensation of shrinking in addition to hardening of the penis is way too different. the blood flow is already a bit interrupted whilst flaccid, and the exercise effect doubles the impact. shrinking, hardening, tightening up along with a considerable discomfort. it also distracts you from what you do as sport.

however, what i remember from my coach's explanation is that, even if your penis shrinks while you're exercising, it promotes more blood flow to the penis in the long run. that is to say, exercise is good for peyronies.

but i would definitely avoid collective sports that involve ball, considering the danger of being hit!

[ashtown]

I've since done some more reading and it seems the temporary shrinkage during strenuous exercise is normal so it clearly never bothered me before having Peyronies and I'm wary now of anything that seems to cause stress in that area. I'm at the early stages and trying to be proactively limit any damage before it occurs.


I'll be avoiding any ball games like football for the very reason finarod mentioned and there must be other sports worth avoiding. These days I'm even careful walking around the house in case I catch something like an opening door on a dishwasher or the corner of a table for example. The kettle bell swings are actually a fantastic all round exercise that help develop cardio, posture and muscle, while burning fat like crazy so it would be a shame if these are a potential problem. I've looked high and low on the internet and couldn't find any reference linking them to Peyronies Disease.


All the same I wonder about what is safe and what isn't. I work from home and find it a huge relief now being able to wear nothing more than loose tracksuit bottoms with no underwear during the day but when exercising I'm wondering what clothes are right and I think this is an area where we could collect a lot of good general information. Given the psychological benefits of exercise and how it could boost our self confidence plus our recovery I am surprised I couldn't really find anything when I ran a forum search for exercise.  

[ashtown]

I'm rather surprised that there has been no further comment on this question. Is it in the wrong section? I wondered if you guys are all out running marathons to improve your circulation or relying totally on medicines to try and beat Peyronies Disease. Exercise is such an important aspect of our general health that I'm curious why nobody has anything to offer on the original question about what is safe and what isn't with Peyronies or even on the point of exercise in general and how it might help or hinder our recovery.  

[swolf]

I have had problems with other areas of my body (excruciating pain in my arm for one) that preclude intense exercises like using a kettle bell (though I have one), and my physical activity at the moment, outside of working and living considerations, consists of walking (but by this I mean I walk everywhere, hundreds of miles in any given month. I am cursed with being a thinker and am usually never in a hurry) and internal martial arts. I specifically study qigong (chi kung) because it is a gentle form of exercise (tai chi is similar but more strenuous and can build tension in the body; qigong is all about doing away with tension). In the past, and maybe again soon, I've done a lot of bodyweight exercises, based on things like the book Dynamic Strength by Harry Wong.  

[james1947]

ashtown

No, you have not posted on the wrong board.
I can just answer for myself. I am doing moderate sport activities like walking, simple stretching exercises and lite weight lifting because of other health issues.
This is the reason that I can't answer to your questions and participate is this debate.
I am reading every post on the forum with interest, but if I have nothing to add to the discussion it will be ridiculous to participate just to say someting.

James

[ashtown]

Hi James, I have no doubt some will have nothing to offer and I wasn't expecting every forum member to jump in. I was just a little surprised at the deafening silence on a subject that is all about exercise as part of an overall plan to beat Peyronies Disease. It's unfortunate that you also have other health issues that are limiting your ability to exercise because Peyronies Disease alone is more than any man deserves to battle but like everybody else here I appreciate all your efforts on this forum to help others.


I was curious to read about the exercise mentioned by swolf, having never participated in anything like the tai chi. In fact I'd never even heard of qigong but it raises an interesting point about what kind of exercise would be most beneficial to help us beat Peyronies Disease. On one hand I'm thinking aerobic exercise like skipping with a rope to really get the heart beating and improve circulation but does fast energy demanding sport risk doing damage? Qigong sounds interesting and I shall do some reading.


Just before all of this struck I was making the most of our feeble British summer and doing a little running as well as the kettle bells swings and some other weight based exercises but I'm wondering now about anything that puts a heavy strain on the body in the way that weight training does. For the last two months I've just been doing gentle dog walks but it sadly looks like my dog is developing arthritis so I've even had to back off on that and I'm pretty sure that just spending hours every day in front of the computer is no good. My lower back is aching quite a lot now through lack of activity.


Presumably there must be some of us running or or other similar exercise and I wonder if they are wearing any particular kind of underwear or taking other precautions. Perhaps the most important question though is if anybody has found any discernible improvement or worsening of their Peyronies Disease which they feel can be attributed to physical exercise?  

[rd]

I am a avid work out nut. I work out 7 days a week. I do weightlifting 4 days a week and cardio the other 3. I have had the problem of pain while running. I use to wear boxers because that felt more comfortable for just every day low level activities. But my unit bouncing around while exercising was causing pain and discomfort I switched to tighty whities. It holds my unit in place while running and doesn't seem to bother me much. All though my pain has gotten better over time because it use to be that the tight fitting underwear would cause pain and discomfort as soon as i put them on. But i figure pain and discomfort from exercises is worth it due to the benefits associated with it. I'm a big believer that good health comes from eating and exercising right.

[james1947]

ashtown

Regarding tai chi
My sister that had surgery because of breast cancer is practicing Tai Chi. Her doctor proposed her to do.
I attended one of her classes (as spectator) two years ago when I visited her in the US and what I see is that this martial art is based on very smooth and harmonic movements. It is interesting indeed and the participants where from teen age's to on person that was over 80.

Myself practiced Ikido that is a much harsh martial art and excellent for physical and mental health also, unfortunately I am suffering many years from low back pain and one wrong fall re injured my back. This was the end of my Ikido.
I wanted to start again three years ago but I re injured by back just before so this was a very early end to my new attempt.
I will suggest you to attend as spectator an Ikido class to see if it fits you and talk with the dojo Sensei to understand what it is. Have a lot of information on the internet also regarding Ikido.

James  

[ashtown]

I've always thought Aikido was one of the more stylish martial arts demanding great discipline but I've never given it a try. At school I studied Budo and a little Jujitsu but that was all thirty years ago. Right now I'd be very wary of doing something that involved physical combat though because a simple accident in the groin area could be very damaging with Peyronies.


Not long before it became apparent I had Peyronies I started to do a bit of running in a nearby field while walking the dog and there was a bit of pain with everything bouncing around so I think I'll look for some underwear that can hopefully keep it all comfortably in place and have another go. I've put on about 4 pounds in weight over the last couple of months and I'm presuming rd hasn't seen any negative longterm effects with Peyronies due to regular exercising.


Do you think kettle bell swings are risky rd? They are pretty intensive and I remember a feeling of pressure all around the groin and buttocks etc as you pull everything tight during the swing. On the plus side it's a great aerobic workout and good for all sorts of muscle areas. I've read that Ubiquinol and Acetyl L-Cartinine are both favoured by athletes, so in way it feels like the supplements I am taking for Peyronies Disease would actually help with the exercise as well.  


   

[james1947]

Regarding running.
Back in 1995 I had a hearth attack. My doctor (hearth professor) told me that running is not healthy because all the internal parts (hearth, kidney, stomach etc') and joints gets shock each step. He advised me to fast walking, 6Km/hour.
He may be wrong, but this was his advise.

James  

[ashtown]

So far I've just started doing some pushups again for my arms and chest. For my legs I'm using the kettle bell as a weight to do squats but without any swinging at the moment. Hopefully if the dog starts to improve I'll soon be able to go walking more again as well. One of the worst things about Peyronies is that it can make you feel like less of a man so I think there is an important psychological element here as well that shouldn't be underestimated.  

[james1947]

Quote from ashtown:

One of the worst things about Peyronies is that it can make you feel like less of a man so I think there is an important psychological element here as well that shouldn't be underestimated.

This feeling is affecting me today not less than in the beginning of my Peyronies, maybe even more. Every small thing connected to sexuality reminds me how I was before the Peyronies and how I am today. A day by day fight

James

[rd]

Quote from ashtown:

One of the worst things about Peyronies is that it can make you feel like less of a man so I think there is an important psychological element here as well that shouldn't be underestimated.

This feeling is affecting me today not less than in the beginning of my Peyronies, maybe even more. Every small thing connected to sexuality reminds me how I was before the Peyronies and how I am today. A day by day fight

James

You are not alone this is a daily struggle for me as well. I have basically not spoken to anyone but close family in over a year because of this. I don't go out either because it is a constant reminder. I basically just go to work and family functions and only family functions so they don't bug me and think something is wrong with me and then I have to explain why. I also find it hard to look people in the eyes. I constantly find myself not being able to be my confident self and now looking at the floor most of the times while walking in public areas. Even after the progress I have had it is difficult. I often wonder even if it were to go completely away could I ever get back to were I was before this condition.  

[james1947]

Maybe the last posts fit more to the psychological aspects board and we are highjacking the topic, but everything is connected by the end also to the psychological aspect.
I have a young wife (also beautiful) that shows always how happy she is with me so from one side is a good coverage. The only people that knows about my problem are my wife and my uro.
When going to our bar (call it neighborhood bar) where everyone knows everyone and man makes some sex jokes, I just smile and people says how a polite man I am not to contribute to the conversation because the women are around.
But when going to an other bar or disco (my wife like to dance, me too) like now when I am in holiday and I see all the young people around me I can't abstain from thinking what I was thinking when I was young:
"Look at this old guy with the young woman!!! God gives nuts to someone that don't have tooth's already" (a say from one of the languages I am speaking).
Yes rd, it is an every day struggling, I am doing everything I can (almost) to fix the problem with the hope that I will be, one day over this disease.

James

[ashtown]

The way I see it everything is related, so I don't particularly consider this going off subject. I was the one to bring it up and if exercise is something that can contribute to our wellbeing either physically or psychologically then it should absolutely be discussed here. I am very sorry to hear that both of you are suffering so badly with the very real day to day question of simply dealing with other people and the way that Peyronies Disease can undermine our confidence.


My wife commented a while ago that I seemed nervous around people nowadays and she seemed mildly irritated by this because obviously they have no idea about my condition but it's still at the back of my mind all the time. In the past if I saw a pretty girl in the street and she smiled I'd be happy but now I'm thinking please no and keeping my head down.


This side of Peyronies Disease is never understood by doctors but I try to remind myself that there are other people in the world and that concentrating purely on my own problems is much less gratifying than taking an interest in other peoples lives and trying to be helpful where possible. I'm also trying to keep as busy as possible and just hoping that the treatment will put me in that small group of men who seem to get through this OK. Exercise is just one component in trying to deal with this.  

[elysianfields]

I've been dealing with the pain aspects for nearly 4 years now. At the onset I was working out daily, running, spinning, weights etc. Tbh I just pushed through the pain and still do so although my pain is maybe 10% of what it was at the onset.

I've varied my underwear support and now can wear briefs without them creating more pain. They just keep it where it is so I can run, bike etc. The pain doesn't stop me but it has affected the intensity of my work outs for sure. Sure it's annoying but if you look at the para-olympics it puts it all in perspective.

My advice, keep working out!

[Hawk]

You are not alone this is a daily struggle for me as well. I have basically not spoken to anyone but close family in over a year because of this. I don't go out either because it is a constant reminder. I basically just go to work and family functions and only family functions so they don't bug me and think something is wrong with me and then I have to explain why. I also find it hard to look people in the eyes. I constantly find myself not being able to be my confident self and now looking at the floor most of the times while walking in public areas. Even after the progress I have had it is difficult. I often wonder even if it were to go completely away could I ever get back to were I was before this condition.

Guys,
We cannot cure our Peyronies Disease but quite frankly this dwelling on how much life sucks does no good.  Don't get me wrong.  i have been there but for whatever reason, I refuse to live there.  You musy lift your head, square your shoulders, and look the world in the eye.  When we cannot do that with the help of our family, our faith, self help books, or self examination, it is time to seek professional council.  Peyronies Disease can bend or diminish our dicks but not fixing the psychological aspects of this can literally destroy our lives and the lives of those we love.  As men, we cannot allow that to happen.  We must fix that whether we ever fix our dicks or not.

[Povera me]

I've been dealing with the pain aspects for nearly 4 years now. At the onset I was working out daily, running, spinning, weights etc. Tbh I just pushed through the pain and still do so although my pain is maybe 10% of what it was at the onset.

I've varied my underwear support and now can wear briefs without them creating more pain. They just keep it where it is so I can run, bike etc. The pain doesn't stop me but it has affected the intensity of my work outs for sure. Sure it's annoying but if you look at the para-olympics it puts it all in perspective.

My advice, keep working out!

Elysian F. I am not sure if the pain comes because of increased blood flow to the penis when you are exercising. If this is the case, you might try a dance belt from a dance supply store. I used to dance professionally. They are padded for comfort, but prohibit swelling from happening in your tights when you are dancing around all the ladies. It kept the package smooth.

[Povera me]

You are not alone this is a daily struggle for me as well. I have basically not spoken to anyone but close family in over a year because of this. I don't go out either because it is a constant reminder. I basically just go to work and family functions and only family functions so they don't bug me and think something is wrong with me and then I have to explain why. I also find it hard to look people in the eyes. I constantly find myself not being able to be my confident self and now looking at the floor most of the times while walking in public areas. Even after the progress I have had it is difficult. I often wonder even if it were to go completely away could I ever get back to were I was before this condition.

Guys,
We cannot cure our Peyronies Disease but quite frankly this dwelling on how much life sucks does no good.  Don't get me wrong.  i have been there but for whatever reason, I refuse to live there.  You musy lift your head, square your shoulders, and look the world in the eye.  When we cannot do that with the help of our family, our faith, self help books, or self examination, it is time to seek professional council.  Peyronies Disease can bend or diminish our dicks but not fixing the psychological aspects of this can literally destroy our lives and the lives of those we love.  As men, we cannot allow that to happen.  We must fix that whether we ever fix our dicks or not.

I agree with Hawk. Psychology is so important and exercise is one of the most important ways to keep a healthy attitude. Lack of exercise may induce depression. Vigourous exercise creates the correct chemical balance in the brain, so activity is highly important. I dont' believe kettle bell swings will cause Peryonies problems. Lifting weights, swinging, jogging, etc, require use of the core muscles for stabilization; you will feel different down there as you engage and tax your core muscles. True, too much weight may cause strain and injury, like a hernia. There may be residual pain from the inguinal area where the hernia is located, but I do not believe (because the phallus muscle tissue is not being used or manipulated enough, if at all), that injury will occur while lifting, unless you are erect and it could become damaged in that state. Thus use jocks, dance belts and proper support against injury. This is an age old problem. Remember, soldiers used to wear cod pieces when they went to war.

[Hawk]

I am NOT an expert in this but I have to suspect any pain from exercise has to be one of two things.
1. Increased blood flow to the entire groin area
2. Pain from some simple jostling your unit around as you change positions and execute movements.

If anything, the first cause would be beneficial as long as the pain is bearable.
The second cause would not have any serious negative effect since your penis is not directly involved in any exercise I am familiar with.  I would consider trying an Advil right before exercise to see if it helps.

In either case, if the pain is not disabling, I would try to focus and work through it without worry.  Often it is not the severity of the pain that gets us.  It is what the pain represents to us in out minds such as , "am I doing more damage?"

[ashtown]

Just as a quick follow up on this I've been doing a combination of stretching, aerobics and strength with fairly intensive 30 minute sessions following a DVD on TV, which I think that has been fine and is probably beneficial, however three days ago I tried one series of 30 kettlebell swings with the same weight I used just before the Peyronies started and within 2 minutes I knew it was a mistake. Soon after the scar felt harder and downright sore almost as though it had been badly stretched. The pain has continued for a good two days and is only now starting to subside, though the scar still feels harder than before. My advice is to stay well away from kettlebell swings if you have Peyronies.  

[Drakey]

I believe exercise may have caused my peyronie's as I remember feeling pain in my penis when monteneering. I have done lots of research to try and back this up but I have found nothing. One thing I have noticed is that after a long walk/scramble I would get burning when I had been for a wee which continued for sometime after.

I can't proof that exercise is the cause and I am not 100% sure myself. Sex definitely causes both pain and deformity.
I have three locations of deformity which is clear to see but my MRI and ultrasound came back clear.

I have a really stressful job and as exercise has been proofen to treat both depression and anxiety I really would like to start again. I have been mainly sedentary since the start of my peyronie's June last year.  May be it was a coincidence that the pain started when I was most active. There is no doubt that exercise  aggravates my peyronie's .

I also suffer from semi erections throughout the day and chronic penile pain from the peyronie's. I am 29 years of age and I was very active from around 16. I have also suffered from fibromyalia for around 10 years.