Combating Bladder Incontinence: From Lifestyle Changes to EMSELLA
Bladder incontinence can significantly impact daily life and confidence. Here is a closer look at the options available, from lifestyle modifications and pelvic floor training through to EMSELLA.
Bladder incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine, can significantly affect daily life and confidence. Treatment usually starts with the least invasive options: lifestyle changes, bladder training, and pelvic floor strengthening. Where those are not enough, medication, devices, or a non-invasive stimulation therapy like EMSELLA are the next steps before surgery is considered.
Lifestyle Modifications
One of the first steps in addressing urinary incontinence is adopting healthier lifestyle habits. Quitting smoking, for instance, can improve bladder health and overall well-being. Smoking is associated with stress incontinence because of the chronic coughing that puts pressure on the bladder. Reducing bladder irritants such as caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, and carbonated drinks also helps.
Bladder Training
Bladder training involves urinating on a set schedule to minimize accidents. Gradually extending the time between bathroom visits can increase bladder capacity and control. It also breaks the habit of going just in case, which shrinks functional capacity over time.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Strengthening
Kegel exercises can strengthen pelvic floor muscles, which support urinary control. Both men and women benefit, and some people see meaningful improvements in leakage. The important caveat is technique: a substantial proportion of people contract the abdominals, glutes, or adductors instead of the pelvic floor without realizing it. Without feedback there is no way to know which you are doing.
Medical Approaches
When lifestyle changes prove insufficient, there are medical interventions to consider:
- Medicines: anticholinergics, beta-3 agonists, and tricyclic antidepressants may be prescribed. For more severe cases, botulinum toxin injections can relax the bladder to reduce leakage.
- Devices and surgery: medical devices like catheters and pessaries offer physical support. Surgical options, including sling surgery and artificial urinary sphincters, provide longer-term solutions for those who have not had success with other treatments.
Non-Invasive Stimulation with EMSELLA
EMSELLA is a non-invasive therapy that uses electromagnetic energy to produce intense pelvic floor muscle contractions. It aids in muscle re-education, and because the whole muscle group fires together, it works even for patients who cannot isolate a correct Kegel.
- The process: EMSELLA treatment involves a series of about six sessions, each lasting around 30 minutes. You sit fully clothed. During the procedure you experience a sensation of tingling and muscle contractions, and you can immediately return to your usual activities afterward.
- Effectiveness: systematic reviews and meta-analyses of high-intensity focused electromagnetic therapy for urinary incontinence report meaningful reductions in pad use and improvements in quality of life.
Read the full detail on our pelvic floor therapy with EMSELLA page.
When to See a Doctor First
Any new or rapidly changing urinary symptoms, blood in the urine, pain on urination, recurrent infections, or a sudden change in stream need medical evaluation before any device treatment. We refer rather than treat around those. Significant pelvic organ prolapse, pacemakers, defibrillators, metal implants in the pelvis, copper intrauterine devices, and pregnancy are all contraindications for EMSELLA.
Getting Started
With a range of treatments from simple exercises to non-invasive technologies like EMSELLA, managing bladder incontinence is more achievable than many people assume. For more information and to find out whether EMSELLA is the right option for you, call (352) 861-0224 or contact Chandra Wellness, or read about the condition itself.
