What are the advantages and side effects of Pelvic floor rehabilitation with devices and trainers?
If you have started your pelvic floor rehabilitation with a device, you have surely felt some first effects on on the tone our pelvic floor. But do you know what are all the side effects of pelvic floor rehabilitation with an electrical stimulation device?
What are the side effects of pelvic floor training with a electrical stimulation device?
There are several methods to do pelvic floor rehabilitation. The two most commonly used ways are manual training with a qualified healthcare professional or training using a device. The latter can take place either in a medical office or at home.
Manual rehabilitation is done via a vaginal touch. It is used to perceive the area to contract, and also to provide resistance to strengthen certain muscles. Your physiotherapist or midwife applies light pressure on the pelvic floor which teaches you which muscle to contract and work. It is also possible to use an intravaginal device to do these exercises.
Side effects of pelvic floor electrostimulation devices
The electrostimulation devices send an electric current to stimulate the muscle fibers in the pelvic floor. A side effect associated with their use can be the perception of pain or discomfort. Since the intensity of these currents can be adjusted, simply decrease it until the sensation disappears.
However, if you feel pain in the perineal region,lower abdomen, or experience bleeding with your electrostimulation perineal devices, stop using it and consult your healthcare professional.
Electrostimulation a great tool when there is a lack of sensation in the pelvic floor. However, very quickly, you will need to transition to an actively training your pelvic floor to truly regai tone.
To summarize, electrostimulation is a passive approach to rehabilitation. It only allows you to locate and become aware of your pelvic floor. This method does not enable you to learn a contraction reflex to use in real-life situations (such as when you run, sneeze, or laugh, for example).
All the electrical stimulation devices reimbursed by health insurance rely on this technology. To strengthen your pelvic floor in the long term, you will need to switch to active training that you can perform through biofeedback based rehabilitation.
Side Effects of Biofeedback based devices
Your healthcare professional may ask you to work with a pelvic floor device. This is usually a wired device.
Connected to the professional’s machine, it can either stimulate the pelvic floor through electrostimulation or actively work on the pelvic floor through biofeedback. Some trainers used in medical offices are equipped with both technologies, allowing a complete approach to rehabilitation.
Exercises in a standing or moving position are made difficult by the wired nature of these devices. Depending on your needs, your professional will guide you towards one model of device or another. The size can be important in some cases, as a side effect in case of vaginal hypertonicity, for example, may be pain upon insertion of the device The use of a lubricant can then help.
In all cases, when you voluntarily work on contracting to strengthen your pelvic floor, one of the main effects is the maintenance of long-term benefits of the work. However, this requires regularly performing exercises.
What Are the Side Effects of Pelvic floor Rehabilitation with a Home trainer?
To actively maintain and strengthen your pelvic floor at home, there are biofeedback based pelvic floor trainers that can be used directly at home. One of the main advantages is that they allow you to do your pelvic floor exercises ( kegels) in complete privacy, without having to travel, and at your own pace!
Let’s look at the main effects you may experience if you regularly do your pelvic floor rehabilitation with trainer.
Improved Pelvic Floor Tone
One of the first effects you will likely feel is in your pelvic floor tone. The effects can be felt very quickly, sometimes right after the first session. Regular active rehabilitation will help you maintain a functional and competent pelvic floor.
Biofeedback trainers allow you to see your progress in real time and track your evolution over time. A perfect solution to stay motivated in the long term. Because there’s no secret, strengthening your pelvic floor is like any other muscle. It needs to be regularly trained.
Better Intimate Relationships and More Intense Orgasms!
A firmer pelvic floor also leads to having more pleasure and better sensations during intimate relations. Mastering your pelvic floor is important during relations, with or without penetration. A toned pelvic floor allows for better clitoral compression and increases blood flow to this area.
Once contracted, it’s during the relaxation phase that an orgasm can happen. Knowing how to relax your pelvic floor is key to longer, repeated, and even more intense orgasms. That’s an additional benefit of rehabilitation with trainer that would be a shame to miss out on!
Free Pelvic floor guide
Find out how to strengthen your pelvic floor to prevent bladder weakness and improve intimate pleasure! 💥
Reduced Urinary Leaks
In case of stress urinary incontinence, strengthening your pelvic floor is the recommended first-line treatment. One of the advantages of a strong and functional pelvic floor is to prevent urinary leaks.
Pelvic floor training allows to resolve the majority of incontinence issues, as long as you maintain regularity in their exercises. Knowing how to voluntarily contract the pelvic floor is also essential in stressful situations.
When carrying a heavy load or sneezing, always remember to contract your pelvic floor to prevent urine leaks.
Improved Quality of Life
Other known beneficial effects include better control of one’s body and increased self-confidence. As you can understand, pelvic floor training is important throughout life.
However, with busy schedules, lack of medical care, or forgetting to do exercises at home, it is not always easy to remain consistent. But now, with at home pelvic floor training based on biofeedback, it’s easier to be consistant.
They allow you to be active and easily strengthen your pelvic floor. This is the case, for example, with the Emy connected kegel trainer.
The Emy Pelvic floor kegel trainer
Emy trainer is a home biofeedback medical device that has undergone a clinical trial. Here are the results after 3 months of regular training:
- 98% of patients report an improved quality of life.
- 87% of participants report a reduction in frequency and severity of their urinary symptoms.
- 96% of patients have reported an overall improevemnt of their incontinence
These excellent figures validate the effectiveness and usefulness of such a medical device for continuing pelvic floor training at home.
How does the Emy connected pelvic floor trainer work?
The Emy trainer allows you to see your efforts in real time on a mobile application connected to the device. When you contract, you apply pressure on its sensors with your pelvic floor.
You make a character jump, a rocket take off… all thanks to the strength of your own pelvic floor muscles! The fun exercises are based on therapeutic protocols used by healthcare professionals in clinics.
Is using a trainer to rehabilitate the pelvic floor a good idea?
Rehabilitating your pelvic floor with a device is definitely a good idea! Just like any other muscle in the body, the pelvic floor is a group of muscles that need to be cared for throughout life.
Taking care of your health is always a good idea. And if there are effective devices for this purpose, that are also easy to use and fun, why not use them?
Prevention above all!
To prevent the onset of pelvic floor problems (urinary leaks, organ prolapse,…), using a pelvic floor trainer is a good initiative.
Toning and strengthening your pelvic floor regularly, thinking about it and protecting it daily will allow you to anticipate as best as possible and not be bothered by these inconveniences in the future.
Some moments in a woman’s life are indeed ideal to start doing strengthening exercises
- Postpartum
- Before taking up working out
- At Menopause
For some women, a single session of 5 to 15 minutes per week is enough to already have a solid foundation and prevent urinary leaks. Home trainers are an excellent tool to help you establish this routine and maintain the benefits in the long term.
In any case, remember that the most effective pelvic floor rehabilitation method will be the one that suits you best. Make sure you know the advantages and the side effects of pelvic floor devices and trainers.
Free Pelvic floor guide
Find out how to strengthen your pelvic floor to prevent bladder weakness and improve intimate pleasure! 💥
Medical contraindications for the use of intravaginal devices
Indeed, the use of intravaginaldevice or home trainer may not necessarily be suitable for all women, especially those suffering from penetration issues (vaginismus or dyspareunia for example).
The insertion of an electrostimulation or biofeedback device may be painful and not suitable.
Contraindications to the use of electrostimulation devices
According to the French Board of medicine, the use of electrostimulation devices is not recommended for postpartum pelvic floor rehabilitation because nerve lesions are frequently found in women after childbirth and Electrical currents could delay nerve regeneration, which could be a harmful side effect of pelvic floor electrical stimulation.
Contraindications to the use of biofeedback devices and home trainers
One of the prerequisites for using a biofeedback device autonomously at home is mastery of pelvic floor contraction.
If your pelvic floor contraction is not mastered, you risk an inversion of control (pushing downwards during contraction). Repeating this movement risks creating overpressure, which can ultimately be dangerous and harmful to your pelvic floor.
Another common mistake when pelvic floor contraction is not mastered is to engage other muscles simultaneously with the pelvic floor (such as the abdominals, glutes…). You will not work your pelvic floor in isolation and the beneficial effects of muscle strengthening will not be felt.
So if you have any doubts and to avoid any unwanted or secondary effects from using a trainer, we recommend making an appointment with a healthcare professional! They will be able to advise and guide you in the best way in choosing your trainer.
