What conditions can be treated with EMSELLA Chair?

EMSELLA Chair treats stress, urge and mixed urinary incontinence in both men and women. It also treats vaginal laxity and erectile dysfunction.

Urge incontinence occurs when you have a sudden urge to urinate. In urge incontinence, the urinary bladder contracts when it should not, causing some urine to leak through the sphincter muscles holding the bladder closed. Other names for this condition are overactive bladder. It is believed that 30% of women suffer from urge urinary incontinence. As with any form of incontinence, weak pelvic floor muscles are often related to your symptoms. With urge urinary incontinence, it is difficult for the muscles to hold on as long.

The EMSELLA Chair is a non-invasive way of targeting the pelvic floor muscles. It provides contractions which are stronger than the ones you can achieve with pelvic floor muscle training alone, reducing the time it takes to see results. Overactive bladder can be improved with EMSELLA Chair treatment. Our patients report that they can hold their bladder for longer and feel the need to urinate less frequently.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a leakage of urine during moments of physical activity that increases abdominal pressure, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise. SUI is associated with weakness in the pelvic floor muscles, impeding their ability to fully close the urethra under periods of increased pressure. It is the most common type of urinary incontinence in women. It is thought that up to 40% of females experience SUI. It is widely understood that pelvic floor muscle training is the first port-of call for this population and has been shown to cure/greatly improve symptoms in women.

The EMSELLA Chair provides High Intensity Focused Electromagnetic technology (HIFEM) to directly treat incontinence and has been shown to not only increase pelvic floor muscle strength, but also develop a deeper connection and awareness of this area.

Many people have symptoms of both stress incontinence and urge incontinence. This combination is often referred to as mixed incontinence. Many studies show that mixed incontinence is a more common type of incontinence in older women. Over a third of women will suffer from incontinence at some point in their life. Incontinence can be caused by many factors but is often caused because of childbirth (post-natal incontinence) or the menopause.

Nocturia is a condition in which you wake up during the night because you must urinate. Causes can include high fluid intake, sleep disorders and bladder obstruction. Treatment of nocturia includes certain activities, such as restricting fluids and medications that reduce the symptoms of overactive bladder.

Find out what type of incontinence you have by taking our bladder leaks quiz.

Why does childbirth cause a weakened pelvic floor?

Your pelvic floor muscles lie like a hammock either side of your bladder. During pregnancy your weight distribution changes, which increases the load on your pelvic floor muscles as they work to maintain pelvic and spine stability. This is exacerbated by the hormonal changes which cause your tissues and muscles to soften and become stretchy, to accommodate your growing baby and to prepare for birth. Long and difficult labour, including assisted delivery with forceps often result in incontinence issues.

Traditional treatments for a weakened pelvic floor have focussed on Kegel exercises where you ‘clench’ the pelvic floor muscle to strengthen it, or in extreme cases surgery, using surgery. Common treatment options for incontinence that are available on the NHS include botulinum toxin injections for the bladder or for severe cases surgical mesh. Both are invasive options and not always available in every NHS area. EMSELLA treatment is not available on the NHS but is available privately now in Oxfordshire.

EMSELLA technology is non-invasive and bridges the gap between manual pelvic floor exercises and restorative surgery. It is very effective at treating incontinence issues caused by a weakened pelvic floor.

What are Kegel exercises?

Kegel exercises are a common recommendation for helping to tighten a weakened pelvic floor because of childbirth or the menopause. Kegel exercises require you to manually strengthen the muscle by internal ‘clenching’. It can be difficult to know if you have the technique correct or remember to do it regularly enough to get results.

Manual Kegel exercises generally only achieve 70% muscle contraction. With EMSELLA treatment, the Chair does the exercise for you, meaning that you get more powerful contractions, more of the time. The EMSELLA Chair delivers supramaximal contractions to the pelvic floor area using magnetic energy, delivering the equivalent of 11,000 Kegel exercises in a single session. Supramaximal contractions enable 100% of the muscle to be exercised 100% of the time.

How can men be treated with EMSELLA?

Radical prostatectomy is a common treatment for prostate cancer. However, it has been shown that up to 80% of men experience urinary incontinence post-operatively which impacts on their quality of life. Pelvic physiotherapy has been shown to help restore continence and the mainstay of treatment is an individualised pelvic floor muscle training programme.

The EMSELLA Chair has been shown to not only increase the strength in the pelvic floor muscles, but also the mind-body connection, increasing outcomes and accuracy with a home training programme.

Up to 50% of men over the age of 40 suffer from erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction can have a significant impact on a man’s life and if often a source of embarrassment. At ERA Skin & Laser Clinic, we approach treatment of this common condition in a sensitive but effective manner.

Male pelvic floor dysfunction has been associated with erectile, ejaculation and orgasm dysfunction. This is because the superficial layer provides rigidity during erection, therefore, a weakness in these muscles can be associated with erectile dysfunction. Pelvic floor muscle training has been shown to increase penile rigidity and penile hardness in some men with erectile dysfunction.

The EMSELLA Chair has been shown to boost the activity of the pelvic floor muscles in ways which cannot be achieved through isolated pelvic floor muscle contractions alone. It has been shown to aid the treatment of erectile dysfunction in males as a result of improving blood flow to the pelvic area which can help improve the chances of getting an erection naturally without the need for traditional medicines like Viagra or Cialis.

It is important to note that erectile dysfunction may also be caused by an increase in the tone of the pelvic floor muscles, in which case the EMSELLA Chair may not be an appropriate treatment modality.

Will I need a consultation for EMSELLA?

Before starting your treatment, you will need a full medical consultation which can take place online or in person. We offer free consultations to discuss issues with incontinence. We also work with an expert group of local Personal Trainers and Physiotherapists to help you improve fitness or address your overall health and wellbeing concerns.

As always, it is important to get a thorough pelvic floor examination with a trained pelvic health physiotherapist first to determine the exact cause of YOUR incontinence and determine suitability for the EMSELLA Chair experience.

Our 10-minute EMSELLA taster sessions allow you to see and feel how the technology works. Simply mention at the time of booking that you would like to book a taster session and we will do the rest.

What can I expect during treatment?

When you arrive for your treatment, you will be shown to our EMSELLA treatment room. Your therapist will explain how the treatment works and there will be plenty of time to answer any questions you may have. You will then be shown to the EMSELLA Chair and your therapist will explain how to correctly position yourself. Treatment will begin, and you can relax whilst the EMSELLA exercises your pelvic floor. You sit fully clothed on the EMSELLA Chair without the need for therapist contact.

Positioning yourself on the chair is very easy. You should sit with a straight back and your legs slightly apart and feet flat on the floor. The chair can be raised or lowered electrically by your therapist to ensure you are in the correct position for treatment.

How long does EMSELLA take?

EMSELLA is a walk-in, walk-out procedure that requires 30-minute treatment sessions.

How many treatment sessions are recommended?

A course of 6 sessions over a 3-week period is recommended for best results.

Is EMSELLA treatment safe?

EMSELLA treatment uses the same technology that has been successfully used for many years in treating muscle injuries in athletes.

What conditions are contraindicated for EMSELLA treatment?

You can have EMSELLA treatment if you have a prolapse. Treatment will help to strengthen the muscles around the bladder and whilst it will not treat the prolapse it will improve symptoms of urge incontinence which often occur with a prolapse.

If you have any metal or electronic implants, including pacemakers or copper intrauterine devices (IUDs), you will not be suitable for treatment due to the electromagnetic technology.

Does EMSELLA hurt?

EMSELLA treatment is not painful. Most people describe the sensation as a combination of mild prickling and gentle pulsing as the muscle is contracted.

Is there downtime after a EMSELLA treatment?

There is no need to rest after treatment. One of the best things about EMSELLA Chair treatment is that it is a walk-in, walk-out procedure, meaning that you can come and have your treatment and go about your normal activities straight away.

EMSELLA Chair is a non-invasive treatment with no notable side effects.

When will I see results?

Depending on several factors, significant improvements can take up to 8-12 weeks. Some of our clients see results, including mild sensations and signs of continence improvement from their first session. It is most usual to see some results after the first 3 sessions. Following your treatment course, the muscle continues to build, meaning that your results will continue to improve over the next 3 months.

The EMSELLA Chair boosts the performance and activity of the pelvic floor muscles alongside your individualised training programme to help you achieve results faster.

How long does EMSELLA treatment last?

This will vary depending on the severity of your symptoms and the specific condition being treated.

Once the muscle is strengthened, your symptoms will improve dramatically, and the positive effect should last for up to one year. Like all muscles, if not used regularly, they can weaken.

Depending on the severity of your urinary incontinence, you can opt to have a 3-, 6- or 12-month top-up session if you feel it is needed.