A 28-minute session in a chair. You stay dressed. Thousands of supramaximal pelvic floor contractions you could never produce on your own — for the urinary incontinence that comes with a weakened pelvic floor.
EMSELLA is a chair, made by BTL. You sit on it, fully clothed, for 28 minutes.
It uses HIFEM — High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic energy — to stimulate the entire pelvic floor, producing thousands of supramaximal muscle contractions you could not produce voluntarily. The pelvic floor is a muscle group like any other: when it weakens, it can be retrained. EMSELLA does the retraining for you.
Nothing is inserted. Nothing is removed. You keep your clothes on, and you can drive yourself home afterwards.
Pelvic floor weakness, and the urinary incontinence that follows from it. There are three kinds, and EMSELLA is licensed for all of them.
Leaking when you cough, laugh, sneeze, run or lift. The pelvic floor cannot hold against a sudden rise in pressure.
The sudden, urgent need to go — and not always making it. Often described as an overactive bladder.
Both at once — the most common presentation. In the published study, 40% of participants had mixed incontinence.
EMSELLA is FDA cleared and licensed by Health Canada for electromagnetic stimulation of the pelvic floor musculature — rehabilitation of weak pelvic muscles and restoration of neuromuscular control — for the treatment of urinary incontinence in men and women.
Per session. Seated, fully clothed, reading your phone if you like.
Twice a week, over about three weeks. This is the protocol used in the published study.
Nothing is inserted and no anaesthetic is used. Drive yourself home and carry on with your day.
The most frequently cited study of this technology is:
Safety and Efficacy of a Non-Invasive High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Field (HIFEM) Device for Treatment of Urinary Incontinence and Enhancement of Quality of Life
Samuels JB, Pezzella A, Berenholz J, Alinsod R.
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2019; 51(9): 760–766.
Seventy-five women, average age 55, with stress (49.3%), mixed (40%) or urge (10.7%) incontinence, treated with six 28-minute sessions over three weeks. What the researchers measured:
How to read this honestly. The study followed 75 women. It did not include men, so the male indication rests on the device clearance rather than on this paper. It was not sham-controlled. And it reports averages: roughly one participant in five did not see a significant reduction in symptoms. Notice, too, that results kept improving after treatment ended — the pelvic floor strengthens over weeks, not overnight.
You will find larger numbers quoted elsewhere online. We use the ones the published paper actually reports.
Incontinence is common and rarely discussed. It is not an inevitable part of ageing, or of having had children.
EMSELLA must not be used if you have metal or electronic implants — a pacemaker, a defibrillator, a drug pump, or metal implants in the treatment area. This is the manufacturer’s stated contraindication and it is not negotiable.
Pregnancy is a contraindication. If you have a copper IUD, tell us before treatment.
Persistent incontinence can have causes that need proper medical investigation. EMSELLA is not a substitute for that assessment, and we will say so if we think you need one.
We review your full medical history before any treatment.
A chair, made by BTL, that uses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic energy (HIFEM) to stimulate your entire pelvic floor. You sit on it, fully clothed, for 28 minutes while it produces thousands of supramaximal pelvic floor contractions — far stronger than any you could perform yourself.
Men and women with pelvic floor weakness and urinary incontinence. Women after childbirth or around menopause; men with incontinence, including after prostate surgery; anyone who leaks when they cough, laugh, sneeze or exercise; and anyone who has tried Kegels without success or is not sure they are doing them correctly.
It is non-invasive and needs no anaesthetic. You stay fully clothed and seated. There is no downtime. And it strengthens the whole pelvic floor rather than only the muscles you can consciously isolate — which is why it can work for people who have tried Kegels and got nowhere.
No. You feel intense but not painful muscle contractions, and a tingling sensation. The published study reported no pain and no adverse events. Most people simply sit and read.
No. You remain fully clothed throughout, seated on the chair. Nothing is inserted.
The protocol used in the published study is six sessions, two per week, over about three weeks. Your own course is confirmed at your appointment.
28 minutes.
Some people notice a change after two or three sessions. In the published study, results continued to improve after the course had finished: symptom scores were better at the three-month follow-up (64.42% improvement) than immediately after the sixth session (49.93%). Pelvic floor muscle strengthens over weeks, not overnight.
None. You can return to your normal day immediately, including driving yourself home.
In the 2019 study of 75 women published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 81.33% reported a significant reduction in symptoms, and 44.19% of those using pads stopped using them entirely. That also means roughly one participant in five did not see a significant reduction. We would rather tell you that up front than quote you a number we cannot stand behind.
Yes. EMSELLA is FDA cleared and licensed by Health Canada for electromagnetic stimulation of the pelvic floor musculature — rehabilitation of weak pelvic muscles and restoration of neuromuscular control — for the treatment of urinary incontinence in men and women.
It is different. Kegels rely on you finding and contracting the right muscles correctly and consistently, and many people cannot. EMSELLA produces supramaximal contractions of the whole pelvic floor that voluntary effort cannot reach. You may still be advised to do Kegels alongside it. You will see “7x more effective than Kegels” quoted on other websites; we have not found a study that supports that figure, so we do not repeat it.
Yes. Anyone with metal or electronic implants — a pacemaker, a defibrillator, a drug pump, or metal implants in the treatment area — must not be treated. Pregnancy is a contraindication. Tell us if you have a copper IUD. And persistent incontinence can have causes that need proper medical investigation: EMSELLA is not a substitute for that assessment.
The published study measured benefit maintained at three months. Like any muscle, the pelvic floor can weaken again, and maintenance sessions are commonly used. Beyond three months the published evidence thins out, and we will tell you what is known and what isn’t rather than guess.
Incontinence is common, and almost nobody talks about it. You can talk about it here. We will confirm whether you are a suitable candidate, explain honestly what EMSELLA can and cannot do for you, and answer anything you would like to ask — with no pressure to proceed.
