How can pelvic floor exercisers help me?

One in three women (50% of women over the age of 40), and one in seven men will suffer from some form of incontinence during their lives; be it post-childbirth or later in life as pelvic floor muscles weaken.

The severity of incontinence can vary. Even though it is not considered life-threatening, incontinence can have a significant impact on your quality of life and cause depression, isolation and soreness. Pelvic floor exercisers are recognised as an effective method of strengthening the muscles that support the bladder and bowel and are a more cost-effective, long-term solution than containment pads.

Why use a pelvic floor exerciser?

Pelvic floor exercisers and trainers are seen as the most effective way to prevent issues with incontinence. Yet, one in three women do not know how to voluntarily exercise the pelvic floor muscles or are simply unable to. Pelvic floor exercisers can play a vital role in educating women about their pelvic floor and the sensation they should feel when doing pelvic floor exercises, helping to improve muscle tone and associated problems. They can also train pelvic floor muscles in men by delivering electrical stimulation via an anal probe or electrode.

Benefits to using a pelvic floor exerciser:

• Safe and drug-free with no side effects
• Easy-to-use at home
• Non-surgical
• Clinically proven programmes
• Reduces the usage of containment pads
• Improves sexual stimulation for women through strengthened pelvic floor muscles
• Can help to reduce leakage
• Discreet
• Helps to avoid rectal prolapse
• Helps to ease chronic pelvic pain
• Helps men’s prostate to function

How can pelvic floor exercisers help urinary incontinence?

Pelvic floor exercisers are portable EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) units which help to build the pelvic muscle strength whilst educating women how to control their pelvic floor. Pelvic floor exercisers work by sending gentle electrical stimulation to your pelvic floor muscle via a vaginal or anal probe or self-adhesive electrode pads using clinically proven programmes. The units exercise and tone the pelvic floor muscle helping you to gain control of your bladder naturally. For best results, it is recommended to use your pelvic floor exerciser in conjunction with performing Kegel exercises.

The benefits of pelvic floor exercises for women, particularly after childbirth, are well documented. However, these simple exercises are also valuable for men following prostatectomy or other prostate surgery where removing the prostate has damaged the area between the bladder and urethra resulting in some form of urinary incontinence; whether it is Stress, Mixed or Urge.

A study following men through the first year after prostatectomy found pelvic floor exercises are effective in terms of reducing symptoms of incontinence. The iTouch Sure Pelvic Floor Exerciser for Men locates and tones your pelvic floor muscle helping you to rebuild muscle strength and reduce any accidental leakages.

How can pelvic floor exercisers help faecal incontinence?

Faecal incontinence can be the result of weakened or poorly functioning anal sphincter muscles or damage to the nerves controlling them.

Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) can be used to re-educate the anal sphincter to contract. The treatments aim to progress towards graduated active exercises, in order to improve pelvic floor muscles strength and endurance and to regain function.

How do men use a pelvic floor exerciser?

The iTouch Sure is a discrete unit with an intra-anal probe. The unit uses comfortable muscle stimulation to exercise your pelvic floor muscle to aid recovery from urinary and faecal incontinence. Pelvic floor training can also help to treat erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

For the more common Urge incontinence, the iTouch Sure is supplied with self-adhesive electrode pads that are placed either side of the spine. It uses gentle electrical stimulation to sooth irritable bladder muscles. Additional electrode pads, replacement probes and Go Gel lubricating gel are all available to purchase as accessories.

Clinically proven

A recent clinical trial carried out on the TensCare iTouch Sure Pelvic Floor Exerciser has been conducted in the US with excellent results.  Participants in the study experienced a 57.1% reduction in the use of continence pads and a significant improvement in incontinence episodes after only 12 weeks of using the iTouch Sure. 

The charts below provides the results from the clinical trial