Using a sitz bath treatment for prostatitis is an effective way to relieve pain associated with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). You can do this easy and affordable alternative prostatitis treatment at home. Sitz baths work by keeping the area clean and increasing blood flow to the treatment area. The use of sitz baths dates back hundreds of years, and they are found to be more effective than taking regular baths for a localized condition such as prostate pain. Even though sitz baths can be effective for men with CPPS, men who have acute bacterial prostatitis should avoid them.
How to Do a Sitz Bath Treatment for Prostatitis
The sitz bath treatment for prostatitis involves sitting in a shallow hot water bath that is as hot as you can stand without burning your skin. You need to submerge only the middle section of your body in the water. Keep your arms, legs, and chest out of the water so that the heat focuses on just the painful part of your body and enhances blood flow to just the prostate area. Fill the water level be up to the hips or belly button. If you do not have a bathtub that allows you to drape or prop your arms and legs comfortably out of the water, you may need to sit in a freestanding basin or tub large that is enough for your bottom to sit in it.
Sit in a sitz bath for about 30 to 40 minutes. Keep adding more hot water to the tub to keep the water hot. Try to relax while in the sitz bath because relaxation is also therapeutic.
After your sitz bath session, you will move to a cold-water shower to cause the blood vessels to constrict quickly, forcing blood and toxins out. After that, the heat that remains in your body will restore blood flow. Use caution to stand up slowly from the bath so you do not faint and turn the shower to as cold as you can stand it. Direct the water to the prostate area, rubbing the area gently for about 20 seconds. You should feel as though your prostatitis pain is dramatically improved. Rehydrate by drinking a large glasses or two of water after your sitz bath.
You will probably need to go through several sitz bath sessions to continue to find relief. If the sitz bath does not relieve your pain, you might find relief using cold through applying ice packs. Some men prefer ice packs for pain relief.
Another variation of the sitz bath that may help some men is a contrast sitz bath, which involves alternating hot and cold water. To do this you’ll need two basins that you can comfortably sit in. Fill one with hot water and the other with cold water. Sit in the hot water three minutes and the cold water one minute. Repeat three times to do one set. Try to do one to two sets per day for three to four times per week.
There are a number of other alternative treatments that involve heat. With heat therapy, patients apply heat to the perineal area. Another option is water-induced thermotherapy. Keep in mind that it usually takes a multi-therapy approach to best manage prostatitis. Be patient with the healing process, and expect to try several different treatment methods to find one that works best for you. You’ll find that there are a number of other drug-free natural and alternative treatments that work well with sitz baths to help you resolve your prostatitis pain.