The Emsella Chair, treatment for pelvic floor weakness

Review: Emsculpt and Emsella by Floor and Core Lab

After childbirth our bodies can be a little (sometimes a lot!) different to how they were before pregnancy. As busy mums wouldn’t it be great to find a service to help regain our pre-pregnancy pelvic floor or core strength?

The Inner West Mums team went to try the Emsella and Emsculpt treatments offered by Floor and Core Lab in Darlinghurst.

What is it?

Emsella is a non-invasive incontinence treatment, which aims to rebuild the strength in the pelvic floor muscles using focused electromagnetic energy. Each Emsella session induces thousands of pelvic floor muscle contractions, which is believed to rebuild those muscles with the aim of reversing urinary incontinence. This treatment can also be effective for back pain and stomach separation.

Emsculpt works on the core muscles, again creating an electromagnetic field that penetrates the skin to impact muscle tissue. This energy induces almost 20,000 muscle contractions per session, something that would never be achieved at the gym!

Both types of treatment can commence 10 weeks post natural birth and 3-month post c-section.

How did we find it?

Floor and Core Lab offered one of our team members the opportunity to try out both types of treatment and then to continue with a full set of treatments for their preferred option.

The treatments were provided at Floor and Core Lab’s treatment centre in Darlinghurst.

Arranging the treatments was very easy, everything was done via email and on the phone. I completed a comprehensive health care questionnaire in advance to ensure all appropriate health issues were disclosed. When I arrived for the first session, I was shown the machines and everything relating to the treatment was explained very clearly.

Treatment one: The Emsculpt

My first treatment was on the Emsculpt. This involved lying on a bed with a paddle laid and secured onto my core area. This paddle was attached to the Emsculpt machine. When the machine was switched on, I was very grateful that the therapist has started me on a low-level intensity. The sensation, while not painful, was very strange! The best comparison I can draw was that of early contractions in labour where you feel a pressure on your core but no associated pain. There was also a sensation of my stomach being pulled up, I could definitely feel those muscles working!

The therapist then moved gradually up through the levels until we reached the maximum 100 per cent. This process could be done as quickly or as slowly as I felt happy with. I found it took around 15 minutes to get up to the full capacity and once there the sensation was definitely more than manageable. Each session lasts for 30 minutes so I took the advice given when booking my sessions and read a few chapters of the book I had with me.

Treatment two: the Emsella machine

Once my Emsculpt session was over, I then switched to the Emsella machine to target those pelvic floor muscles! This machine is different as you sit on a ‘chair’ which then sends the electromagnetic energy upwards to work the required muscles.

Again, the sensation was strange but not at all painful. This time I found I could move through the levels much quicker as I was prepared for the intensity. I could definitely feel the contractions of the muscles and thanks to instructions from the therapist to move around a little and tilt my hips forwards I was able to concentrate the energy into the correct area. This session also lasted 30 minutes so I had a good opportunity to read a few more chapters of my book!

The verdict

Once I had finished both sessions, I felt no pain or discomfort in any part of my body, but later that day I became aware of my core muscles telling me they had had a workout! It felt a little like I had done a good sit-up session without actually doing a single one!

I opted to continue with the Emscuplt treatments as luckily my pelvic floor has survived two natural deliveries well, but the thought of having a more toned and strengthened core was definitely attractive! I then completed three further treatments on the Emscuplt machine over the following fortnight. Ideally the treatments need to be done within that time scale, but you do need to leave a day between to allow your muscles time to recover. I found that each time I went I was able to move up through the levels of intensity more quickly and that the sensation, while still strange, was totally fine.

Emsculpt

I decided to take some before and after photos for my own reference (after session one, pictured left, and then again after session four, pictured right). While I don’t have a ‘six-pack’ I can definitely see and feel a difference in my core strength. There’s muscle definition that I haven’t had since pre my first child 10 years ago! And it was already visible after session one.

The effects of the treatments can last up to 6 months and the increased strength I feel in my core has made it possible for me to push my normal exercising to a new level, sit ups are no longer my enemy!

For more information: www.floorandcorelab.com.au