Hi-tech seat promises to cure urinary incontinence
Nearly one in four women over the age of 35 are affected by urinary incontinence. Addressing it can involve surgery, but that could change thanks to a hi-tech chair that uses electromagnetic pulses to correct the condition.
For over 20 years, Barbara Bacon lived with urinary incontinence, and planned her life around it.
"It affected what I was going to wear, what kind of activities I might consider," Bacon told us.
Dr. Shelena Lalji says it's normal for women to experience urinary incontinence, especially after childbirth.
"What happens is our pelvic muscles just get weaker, and our collagen breaks down," Dr. Shel said.
"I had a little bit of trouble with leaking. Every time I sneezed, coughed or jumped up and down," Bacon said.
Women opt for invasive surgery or lasers to correct the condition, but a recently FDA approved option called the EMSella could be the answer many are looking for. It uses high-intensity electromagnetic pulses which penetrate the targeted tissues of the pelvic floor and stimulate the muscles.
"It's almost where it's creating pelvic muscle contractions. So we all know about Kegel exercises. So I could equate this to doing about 11,000 Kegel exercises in 28 minutes," Dr. Shel said.
Patients sit in the EMSella chair fully clothed. Each session runs between $300 to $500, and it's suggested that a patient receive up to six treatments to get the full benefit.
"The first thing I noticed even after the first treatment was that I was able to sleep through the night without having to get up and go to the bathroom," Bacon said.
She says it's one less thing to worry about.
"It had become my new normal and now that I'm actually back to being myself, it's wonderful," Bacon explained.
