Post-Void Dribble
Post-Void Dribble
What is post-void dribble?
In men or people with prostates, there are 2 muscles (called sphincter muscles) that keep urine (pee) from leaking out from the bladder. There is an external sphincter at the tip of the prostate and an internal sphincter between your prostate and bladder that work together. When your bladder fills up, both sphincter muscles squeeze to keep the urine in the bladder. When you urinate (also called voiding), both sphincter muscles relax, your bladder empties, and then the sphincter muscles close again.
Post-void dribble is something that can happen when the external sphincter closes before all the urine is out of the prostate, causing a little urine to get trapped in the prostate. Shortly after you finish urinating, that muscle relaxes, and then the trapped urine leaks (dribbles) out. Post-void dribble is just urine that’s trapped in the prostate that dribbles out later. If you notice a dime-size urine stain in your underwear after you’ve urinated, that’s perfectly normal. Some people have a lot more urine dribble after voiding (enough that it can soak through their pants). These people may benefit most from post-void dribble treatments.
Post-void dribble is common in:
- Older men (although it can happen in younger men)
- People who have very strong pelvic floor muscles, so they have a hard time relaxing their external sphincter
Appointment Information
If you are a patient looking to receive kind and compassionate care at a leading urologic practice in Michigan, book an appointment by calling 734–936–7030.
How is post-void dribble treated?
There are 2 treatments you can try to reduce or prevent post-void dribble:
Specific Kegel exercises will work on relaxing your pelvic floor. To complete these exercises, tighten the muscle of your rectum and hold for a count of 5. Then relax the muscle for a count of 10. Repeat this 15 times in the morning and 15 times at night. This exercise can make a big difference in helping you control your pelvic floor and relax your sphincter muscle, so urine doesn’t get trapped in your prostate.
You can use a technique to milk (remove) any trapped urine out of your prostate. After you finish urinating, put a finger underneath your scrotum on the skin between the base of the scrotum and your rectum (called the perineum). Milk this area by gently applying pressure and moving your finger upward toward the base of the scrotum. Then, shake out your penis to drain all the urine out.
After 3-4 months of consistently completing the exercises, you should be able to manage your post-void dribbling so it’s no longer a big issue. If you’ve tried the exercises for 3-4 months and you are still having symptoms, please contact the Urology department to schedule an appointment so we can talk with you more about your symptoms.
Post-void dribble can be annoying, but it is not dangerous. It is not a sign of anything worse going on in the bladder and or a sign of any problems with your nervous system. If you notice blood in your urine, or if you are passing hard, stone-like material in your post-void dribble, please call to make an appointment for testing.
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