I Tried UROSPOT's Kegel Throne. Here's What It Did For My Pelvic Floor

Lately, my social media feeds have been full of posts about how to stay strong and healthy…as you age. I’m telling you, you like one reel about perimenopause, and now you’re being served content about bone density and avoiding falls. But I have to admit that the trend towards preventative health is a good one, especially with the current focus on weight loss and thinness.

Getting a bikini body isn’t relevant to everyday life, especially if you throw your back out when you pick up your giant toddler, or you pee your pants when you laugh. Preventative muscle training isn’t just about squats and bicep curls; it should include your pelvic floor, too.

Because post-partum leaks when you cough, sneeze, run or jump may seem frustrating now, but if not treated, they could become even worse as you age. As Erin Craven, CEO and founder of UROSPOT, says, incontinence is one of the most common reasons older people lose their independence and go into care homes. Strengthening your pelvic floor isn't just saving you embarrassment or money on incontinence products; it’s an investment in your future.

With that in mind, I tried UROSPOT’s high-tech pelvic floor therapy. So much more than kegels, I wondered if sitting on a High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic chair for almost three hours over three weeks would tone my pelvic floor enough to stop premenstrual leaks when I coughed or eradicate the awful bladder-drop feeling I got when I raced my kids across the park. In 28 minutes, the machine stimulates 11,000 deep muscle contractions, essentially doing kegels for you. That's more Kegels than I've ever done in my lifetime. So, did it work? Here’s what you need to know about High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) therapy for your pelvic floor.

What's UROSPOT?

One of Canada’s only pelvic-floor focused clinics that offers this technology, UROSPOT has found a sweet spot between physical therapy and the kind of medispas that often invest in HIFEM technology.

The clinic, which has locations in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, offers two treatment options: pelvic floor physiotherapy with a registered physiotherapist and nurse-led treatment using the HIFEM chair. Neither treatment requires you to remove any clothing. Anyone who’s done any pelvic floor physio knows that the treatment can sometimes feel invasive. No internal exams are definitely a draw for some people.

HIFEM treatment for the pelvic floor

As I mentioned, the HIFEM technology stimulates deep muscle contractions. It feels less like vibrations and more like a TENS machine, if you’ve ever used one. The Health Canada- and FDA-approved treatment essentially helps strengthen your pelvic floor muscles and can target muscles we can’t with Kegels alone.

"But the part that is incredible is that it really reboots the neuromuscular connection between your brain, your bladder, and your pelvic floor," says Craven. She explains, "So think about that like when you get home, and your phone reconnects to your Wi-Fi. That connection can get disconnected through childbirth, hysterectomies, and all kinds of stages of life. When we reboot that neuromuscular connection, the brain, bladder and pelvic floor start signalling each other properly again."

Does it work?

Dr. Marjorie Dixon, Founder, CEO and Medical Director of Anova Fertility, says that HIFEM technology is effective for select patients. “The data shows improvement in the number of leaks per day and per week, reduced pad use, and better quality-of-life and symptom scores.” She adds that it works best when combined with pelvic floor physio and that improvements will fade over time, so maintenance treatments are necessary. UROSPOT recommends one maintenance treatment every four months, after the initial six sessions.

While effective for mild incontinence issues, Dr. Dixon doesn’t recommend the treatment for more complicated issues like moderate to severe prolapse, but does say that it can help with mild cases.

But even improving what are considered mild symptoms can change people's lives. Craven recalls a patient "who woke up eight times a night for 30 years to go pee," she says. "There's been no restorative sleep in her life for 30 years, and getting her sleeping through the night was literally life-changing."

First impressions

The waiting room at UROSPOT doesn’t look like a clinic or a gym; it’s clean, cozy and feels more like a spa or a friend’s luxurious living room. There’s coffee, tea and water available, magazines on a coffee table and reading glasses on offer—which doesn't mean that the usual clients are older adults who need reading glasses. The patients at UROSPOT run the gamut from young people to seniors.

Craven says that the motivation to visit UROSPOT ranges. "It can be, 'I want to be able to pick up my kids,' or 'jump on a trampoline with them.' It can be, 'I want to be able to drive from here to work and not have to stop at Tim Hortons to go pee'," she says. She adds that 25 percent of women struggling with pelvic floor issues seek care, meaning that 75 percent don't.

Before starting treatment at UROSPOT, I had a consultation with a nurse to review my symptoms and goals and confirm that I was a good candidate. If you’re feeling uncomfortable about blurting out your issues, know that the nurse has likely heard it all, but there’s also a list of questions to help guide you. The consultation takes less than half an hour.

The treatment

As I mentioned, most people will visit the clinic twice a week for three weeks. The chair (or kegel throne) is in a small room with a minimal, modern design. There’s a TV on the wall and a stool for the physiotherapist to sit on. Again, there’s no need to undress, but wearing loose-fitting pants can make it easier for you to get comfortable on the chair.

Alicia, the nurse at the UROSPOT location near Yonge and Lawrence in Toronto, got me settled and positioned on the chair. The pulses should be felt on your perineum between your vagina and anus. She adjusted the strength of the pulses for me, but I could comfortably tolerate the machine turned up almost all the way.

What does it feel like?

The machine sends out two pulse patterns, one to strengthen, and the other to address the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles—this is the stuff that leaves you feeling sore after a workout. The strengthening pulse feels like an electrical vibration that increases in intensity, then fades out; the other feels like gentle tapping. Neither are particularly pleasant, but neither are terribly uncomfortable, either. At the last couple of sessions, I could really feel my muscles contracting. I could even see my lower abs working, which was reassuring.

What do you do during treatment?

During each session, you watch videos on a screen in the room. Each video addresses a different aspect of pelvic floor health, including urination, bowel movements, exercise, sleep and diet.

A few surprising things I learned:

• Peeing just in case isn’t helping you. Telling your bladder to empty when it’s not full can lead to a smaller bladder and teach your body to send “full” signals at smaller volumes.
• Coffee, alcohol, sparkling water and acidic and spicy foods are bladder irritants. Having too much of these can lead to increased urgency.
• Not drinking enough water can cause the biggest issues. Some people who deal with incontinence issues avoid drinking water so they won’t have to deal with surprises, but without enough water, your urine is highly irritating to your bladder. Plus, drinking water can dilute those other (often delicious) irritants.

The results

I’ve done traditional pelvic floor physiotherapy in the past with some success, but doing Kegels always felt different after having kids. What used to feel like one movement became two separate movements needed to engage my pelvic floor. It felt a bit unnatural and like hard work. Post-treatment at UROSPOT, I can contract my pelvic floor with much less effort, and everything feels like it’s working together.

Even better, running, jumping, and sneezing are no longer uncomfortable or risky, even with a full bladder. I feel stronger overall and more confident.

Would I recommend the treatment?

In short, yes. It’s expensive, even if you have physiotherapy benefits, so it’s an investment—and an ongoing one with maintenance sessions required. But if you're leaking enough to need pads, are anxious every time you cough or are up half the night going to the bathroom, think of it as a worthwhile investment—and one that could keep you independent for longer, even if old age seems a long way away. Plus, it's saving you the cost of pads and other supplies. As Craven says, "There are so many ways out there to help you live with the symptoms, but I want you to live without them."