Suffering from urinary incontinence can be highly uncomfortable and is a problem many women face, especially as they get older. The severity of incontinence can range from the occasional bladder leakage caused by coughing or sneezing to being so severe you literally cannot get to the bathroom in time. These issues lead to other health and lifestyle issues, such as decreased sexual performance, depression, lost time at work, and the ongoing cost of purchasing incontinence products.
In short, incontinence can interfere with your overall quality of life. However, there are safe, effective, approved, and clinically proven treatment options to help get those suffering from urinary incontinence back to enjoying life.
Who Does Urinary Incontinence Affect?
Urinary incontinence affects over two-thirds of women between 42 and 64 years of age. Loss of bladder control can happen for a variety of reasons. Stress incontinence is common in women who have given birth. This is due to the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy and delivery and can result in bladder leaks during strenuous activity. Sometimes even just coughing is enough to cause an accident. Functional incontinence describes not being able to postpone urination long enough to make it to the bathroom. Other common causes of this urinary problem are menopause in women and just an overall lack of exercise in both men and women as they age.
There are still other reasons for incontinence that include health issues and lifestyle choices. However, the majority of these all typically result from a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. Emsella is an FDA-approved electromagnetic technology designed to treat urinary incontinence by restoring neuromuscular control of the entire pelvic floor muscles.
Urinary Incontinence Treatment Options
While surgery may be indicated for some cases, in most situations strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is a viable treatment option for urinary incontinence. When discussing neuromuscular treatment options for incontinence, it is important to understand that the pelvic floor muscles are part of a larger group of muscles referred to as the “core.” The core muscle includes the abdominals, intercostals, diaphragm, and pelvic muscles. As these muscles are used together in every movement the body makes, from running to just breathing, it is easy to see why they become weaker as people age and their activity levels drop. The Emsella-treatment protocol is an effective treatment option for women that uses electromagnetic stimulation to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and improve bladder control. Men whose incontinence is not the result of prostate issues also see excellent results with the Emsella-treatment protocol.
Initial Consultation
While strengthening the pelvic floor muscles works for most sufferers, it cannot resolve all types of incontinence. As such, a consultation is performed to assess if you are a good candidate for Emsella pelvic floor muscle therapy. An evaluation will be performed that will include discussing your overall medical history, health, and urinary issues to ensure you are a good candidate before treatment is recommended. Because the treatment device uses electromagnetic energy, people who began experiencing incontinence after radiation therapy may not undergo Emsella. Patients with any metal implants, such as pacemakers or surgical pins and plates, are not candidates for this treatment option.
Urinary Incontinence Treatments
The great news is, Emsella-treatment options are entirely non-invasive and do not require anesthesia or incisions.
During Emsella treatments, patients can remain fully dressed during the treatment when sitting on the Emsella device while it sends pulses of low-intensity electromagnetic energy into their pelvic-floor muscles. The Emsella-treatment protocol works by stimulating the pelvic floor muscles and inducing thousands of Kegel-like muscles contractions. Each 30-minute treatment session results in a full pelvic-floor muscle workout. The pulses of electromagnetic energy cause your muscles to contract, working to strengthen the muscles themselves as well as the connection between your brain and the muscles. The latter is called neuromuscular facilitation, often referred to as muscle memory.
The two types of muscles in the body are voluntary and involuntary, with the latter also known as smooth or autonomic muscles. An example of voluntary muscle movement is walking, whereas involuntary muscle movement would be a beating heart. Some muscles can be controlled both voluntarily and involuntarily, like your diaphragm when breathing. In this case, improving the neuromuscular facilitation of your pelvic muscles will help you reestablish control over your bladder.
Overall, the treatment aims to provide relief from the symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency and leaking, pelvic organ prolapse, and weak sexual function. Treatment may also help people with nocturia, meaning having to get up during sleep to urinate.
Urinary Incontinence Sessions
Like working any muscle, the actual strengthening does not occur while the muscles are being exercised, but during the following day while the muscles are resting. Muscles get stronger each time they are exercised, and while you may notice improved bladder control after one treatment, the treatment plan requires multiple sessions. The typical Emsella-treatment plan sees maximum effectiveness with six sessions with a couple of days off in between.
