Massage of the Prostate
Prostate. Massage of the prostate is given much more frequently than that of the uterus. There is an internal and an external method, but the external method is rarely used. It is much less direct than the internal method. For the internal method the patient may either stand at the end of a table and lean forward until the elbows rest on the table, or lie on the right side (for a right-handed operator), with the knees somewhat bent, the upper knee more than the lower. The operator inserts the index finger (sometimes the long finger or both fingers) into the patient’s rectum and gives downward stroking and circular massage movements.
Another method, a combination of internal and external, is similar to the above, except that the finger or fingers in the rectum serve only to secure the prostate, which then is manipu¬lated through the abdomen with the thumb and fingers of the other hand. The inserted finger should be covered with a rubber finger-cot, or a rubber glove should be worn, the in¬serted finger being well lubricated. In the external method the patient lies on the back with the knees drawn up (as for abdominal massage), holding the sexual organs up on the abdomen. The operator strokes and frictions the perineum. This has only a slight and indirect effect upon the prostate. In every case the bladder should be emptied before the treat¬ment begins.