Strengthen pelvic floor with EMS

BY MELANIE DUNN NUTRITIONAL THERAPIST

THERE are many reasons people go to the gym - to build muscle and lose weight - but strengthening our pelvic floor muscles probably is not on the list. Men and women can be at the mercy of weakened pelvic floor muscles as it’s no fun having to worry about where the nearest toilet is or when a cough or unexpected sneeze might trigger a leak. When working properly your pelvic floor muscles contract to prevent urine from leaking when you laugh or move suddenly. But when the muscles are weak, they can’t counteract the pressure. This gives rise to stress incontinence which, it’s estimated, affects around 40% of women and is more common after the age of 40. Apparently 1 in 5 have it to some degree. Some are more prone: those who have had a baby: are menopausal, generally senior in age, or overweight.

According to the NHS; “Pelvic floor exercises strengthen the muscles around your bladder, bottom, and vagina or penis. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles can help urinary incontinence, treat pelvic organ prolapse, and make sex better too (for more see website).

Men of all ages can suffer from incontinence or erectile dysfunction - those who have prostate gland problems are particularly at an increased risk of urinary incontinence.

So what can be done? As it is very difficult and also inappropriate to place resistance directly on the pelvic floor muscles to build strength and increase activation, especially after childbirth, this problem becomes difficult to solve with traditional exercise.

However, whole-body EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) strengthens the pelvic floor and abdominal wall muscles by placing electrodes on the 12 major muscle groups in the body including the calf muscles in order to stimulate the tibialis posterior nerve. It’s this nerve that causes the pelvic floor muscles to contract. A 20-minute EMS training session has a significant advantage over conventional training because the targeted electrical impulses stimulate the corresponding muscle groups without additional pressure. The results are good news for women suffering incontinence as EMS improves bladder control within three to six weeks. It’s exciting to see a new and powerful application of EMS creating real, tangible results for women. And there’s no reason why men can’t get the benefits they need from strengthening the pelvic floor using EMS alongside building overall muscle and defining the body.

To book and more EMS information see https://melaniedunn.co.uk/ems-fitness-classes/