Palpating the pelvic floor muscles laterally to the prostate during a rectal exam can reveal tightness and bands of muscle, indicative of pelvic pain syndrome.

“when you do a rectal exam and you feel kind of straight posterior you're feeling just the prostate if you just move your finger laterally you're into the pelvic floor for you're in the pelvic muscle for sure and so often times you won't feel much of anything but in a man who has pelvic pain syndrome I I feel all the time like at least meaning it's just locked up it feels like a guitar string yeah you'll feel bands of muscle”