Urology as rehabilitation medicine: a literature review

Abstract

As a urologist, we usually encounter with two representative functional behaviors, namely, voiding and sexual function. These are not only important but also complex and synchronized so if these functions are impaired, patients need active functional rehabilitation to recover. These functional impairments should be recognized and corrected early because they could not only cause direct damage to the affected functions but also have harmful consecutive consequences such as kidney damage due to voiding abnormality and self-esteem damage due to decreased sexual function. Numerous rehabilitative methods are currently available, which help minimize the negative effects of these functional impairments. In terms of voiding function, pelvic floor muscle exercise, biofeedback, functional magnetic stimulation, neuromodulation, and clean intermittent self-catheterization are representative rehabilitation modalities. In case of children, extra-attention should be paid because this might affect their entire life. In impairment of sexual function, early intervention to maintain male erection is the main target of rehabilitation to prevent corporal fibrosis and penile deformity and increase recovery chance in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy or major surgery. In this review, we will elucidate various rehabilitation methods in urology to further increase our understanding of the rehabilitative characteristics of urology and widen our view of rehabilitation medicine.