'Real talk: I keep peeing myself. Could a 'magic' chair really help?'
Sometimes if I talk just a little too loudly, I will wet myself. Think about your day and all the times you laugh or sneeze, clear your throat or even something so small as tripping on a paving stone. For me – every day – those innocuous moments will trigger a urine leak. I don’t fully wet myself, it's only a small amount, but if I’m not wearing a liner all those little leaks could mean that over time an obvious wet patch may appear. Or worse: a smell. Thankfully, I’ve always had extra protection to hand or I’ve been close enough to home that I can change clothes. It is… not fun.
I’ve been to three physios and they all say the same thing, I have a weak pelvic floor as a result of spending my twenties completely oblivious to my pelvic floor, plus two pregnancies and the nail in the coffin, two vaginal births. Now, I suffer from moderate stress incontinence. And I want to fix it ASAP.
I’ve tried kegels, I have tried the Elvie Pelvic floor trainer (which I keep forgetting to use) and I’ve even investigated medication to help. It was while googling “magic pill for incontinence” that I came across the EMSELLA chair at my local Thérapie Clinic (they have them all over the UK). It sounded the closest thing to a silver bullet for my problem, so I signed up for an 8 session treatment plan.
What is EMSELLA and how does it work?
On my first visit I learned the EMSELLA chair uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy and stimulation to generate deep pelvic floor muscle pulses. Each 28 minute session on the chair is the equivalent of 11,800 deep muscle contractions which is 11,700 more than I’ve done in my whole life. But how does that work in practice?
Grace Covington, a Pelvic Health Physiotherapist with Marylebone Health, agrees that the research around the EMSELLA chair shows promising results so far – for the right patients – but says you should also have an internal examination by a physiotherapist before being prescribed the chair, just to make sure it’s right for your specific type of pelvic floor weakness.
“Pelvic floor symptoms don't always mean that a patient needs to perform lots of pelvic floor strengthening exercises. Often tension of the muscles is a factor and women need to learn how to relax the muscles before embarking on strengthening,” Covington explains. “We also know that no muscles work in isolation. Absolutely, pelvic floor muscle strengthening has a place but we need to look at the bigger picture: why are these muscles weak, what is going on with the rest of the structures in the body?”
This rings true for me, I have been told that my pelvic floor is ‘too tense’. At the time this didn’t make sense and partly still doesn’t. How can something be so tense and be so weak at the same time? If you can imagine a rubber band that’s being expanded to its maximum all the time then you can see how any strain or any extra weight on it would cause it to fail. Similarly you can imagine how a rubber band constantly pulled taut is weaker over time because it’s never relaxed and never gets a chance to flex. We didn’t talk about this at my EMSELLA consultation, but I was thinking about that metaphorical rubber band as I was sitting down for my first session.
The treatment is super easy, I just sat in the chair fully clothed. Arguably, the hardest part was sitting with proper posture and not using my phone for 27 minutes. It wasn’t painful, I’d describe it as a ‘flicking’ sensation to my perineum - not nice but not uncomfortable.
As for the frequency of the EMSELLA chair sessions, I went back every 3 days and immediately felt about a 20% improvement on my previous pelvic floor strength – I even stopped wearing liners! Anna Harvey, the Senior Aesthetician and Laser, Skin and Body Specialist at Thérapie Clinic, explains results vary among clients but my experience wasn’t unusual. “Results can be seen after just one session. EMSELLA is perfect for anyone who suffers from stress incontinence, urge incontinence, urine leakage, those looking to strengthen their core, improve posture and sexual health.”
Is EMSELLA the same as pelvic floor therapy?
EMSELLA is electrical muscle stimulation which is a type of pelvic floor therapy. There is also pelvic floor physical therapy, which you get from a physiotherapist and is the most typical treatment route for incontinence and pelvic floor weakness. Physical therapy for pelvic floor symptoms involves going for an internal examination – of which I’ve now had many – where you’re asked to do a range of pelvic muscle movements such as tensing, relaxing and pushing down. From that, they can gather what pelvic floor work you need to do and how to adjust the way you do everyday things, to help support you in your journey to better control.
My treatment plans have always involved kegels. Covington said the principle of ‘squeezing’ the pelvic floor muscles and having it done for you with HIFEM technology is the same but EMSELLA is more passive “... i.e. it does it for you. It is important to then to follow-up with physiotherapy to ensure you're able to do your kegels by yourself during different activities which are important to you ie. standing, lifting something heavy or even singing. This will ensure long term recovery from your pelvic health symptoms.”
What is Core to Floor?
After my success with EMSELLA, I decided to go back and try their Core to Floor treatment which is a combination of EMSELLA and another treatment called EMSCULPT. EMSCULPT is the same HIFEM technology focussed instead on the abdominal muscles to help restore strength, balance and heal diastasis recti (ab separation) – and instead of a chair, this part of the treatment takes place with you lying down on a bed. My EMSCULPT sessions usually took place after the chair in a different room. Harvey said a weak core could also be to blame for my issues, “Weak core muscles can leave you prone to poor posture, lower back pain, muscular injuries and incontinence. Core to floor is designed to encourage strength from within.”
What are the benefits of Core to Floor?
The benefits of EMSELLA and EMSCULPT are improved muscle function, bladder control, improved balance and in some cases abdominal muscle definition. I wasn’t expecting enhanced orgasms, but I can confirm it’s a great added bonus. Another benefit was that after my sessions I felt so zipped up in a very ‘good luck finding my waist!’ kind of way, but I didn’t notice an actual reduction in measurements or abs overnight. I think it would require an actual lifestyle change alongside the treatment before seeing an improvement in that department. Harvey said the treatments are suitable for both men and women.
How much do EMSULPT and EMSELLA cost?
Thérapie Clinic have a limited time offer starting from £49 per session for EMSELLA and £99 per session for EMSCULPT. Core to Floor starts from £135 as a bundle. If you decide to try the Core to Floor treatment plan, it’s recommended that you commit to at least 4 EMSCULPT sessions and 6 EMSELLA sessions.
My Core to Floor review
I signed up for a treatment plan that included 6 EMSCULPT and 8 EMSELLA sessions, so often I was going for a session on the chair immediately followed by a session on the bed, meaning I was at the clinic for about an hour once a week for about 6 weeks. During my treatments the therapist talked me through the intensity level setting of the pulses, my positioning on the chair and my previous treatments.
For EMSCULPT, you lay on a bed fully clothed and have the electromagnetic stimulation delivered via a paddle strapped to your belly. The pulses are more obvious than with the chair - as they felt (and also looked) like I was tensing the muscles. I eventually got used to them over time and started falling asleep at the 30 minute sessions: mum life. Then they set it going and come back when the treatment finishes. During the treatments I would listen to a podcast, read a magazine or do a crossword. After EMSCULPT I felt a bit of soreness, similar to how it feels after you’ve done a hard abdominal workout but it didn’t bother me and was a physical reminder of my ~progress~.
Can anyone do Core to Floor?
People who are pregnant shouldn’t do the treatment, and you also shouldn't be on your period on the day of your session. Intimate piercings and/or metal implants (like a coil) are also a big no no, due to the electromagnetic activity.
Does EMSELLA actually work?
I fully dedicated my pelvic floor to this journey, going in for 22 sessions over the course of the summer and while I do feel different, my progress has plateaued after the initial improvement. I still have leaks (on average every other day) but they aren’t as noticeable as before. However, I no longer wear liners unless I know I will be doing some heavy lifting, drinking alcohol or walking a lot.
The ultimate goal is to be 100% confident in my bladder every time I leave home but in order to have that I’d need to consistently do kegels as recommended by my physiotherapist. In the meantime, I will enjoy my plateau.
The writer received a press discount on the EMSELLA and EMSCULPT treatments in exchange for an honest review.
This article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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