A Comparative Study on the Effects of High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic Technology and Electrostimulation for the Treatment of Pelvic Floor Muscles and Urinary Incontinence in Parous Women: Analysis of Posttreatment Data

Abstract

The study performed a comparison of short-term results after high intensity electromagnetic treatment and electrostimulation for improvement of urinary incontinence.

Assessment of the Short-Term Effects after High-Inductive Electromagnetic Stimulation of Pelvic Floor Muscles: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled Study

“…In addition, individuals with (6) any neurological symptoms; (7) systemic diseases; (8) diabetes mellitus; (9) lumbar or pelvic pain in the last 6 months were excluded [9,10,30]. Participants were also excluded if they had (10) any contraindications for HIES (pregnancy, cancer, heart pacemaker, hearing aid or other non-removable electronic devices, bleeding of any origin, pain of unknown origin, neurological diseases, epilepsy, very low blood pressure, metal pieces within the area of HIES application, radiotherapy or chemotherapy, malaise during the examination or infection of the urogenital tract) [13,14,29]; (11) allergy to nickel [9,30,32]; (12) the occurrence of pain during the study [9,30,32]; or (13) resignation during the study [9,30,32].…”

“…The intervention (a single-session intervention) in the HIES group included local 20 min HIES with an electromagnetic induction intensity of 2.5 T [13,14,29]. The SOLUS TALEN device (REMED, Daejeon, South Korea, Figure 1) was used to conduct HIES.…”

“…Physiotherapy (including physical therapy) should be performed by patients with these types of symptoms to increase the strength and endurance of the pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) as well as increase the elasticity of the pelvic floor structures [6][7][8][9][10]. It seems that one of the methods of physical therapy that may positively affect the pelvic floor is stimulation with high-inductive electromagnetic stimulation (HIES; high-inductive, deep-penetrating, pulsed electromagnetic stimulation) [11][12][13][14]. The use of other physical therapy in the treatment of SUI has been described in the literature [15][16][17][18], and electrotherapy is mainly used [16][17][18].…”

“…The new electromagnetic stimulation notably differs from perceptible tingling and tissue vibration during the treatment. Manufacturers recommend HIES as an effective, comprehensive, noninvasive and safe method for the treatment of SUI [13,14,29]. Its effects on peripheral nerve stimulation, muscle activation and effectiveness in improving the composition of collagen structures and blood circulation have been highlighted [12][13][14].…”

“…The impact of stimulation with HIES (a single-session intervention) on the pelvic floor structures in women with SUI or MUI is the foundation of this research project, as there is evidence that it can influence the tissue-healing process, improve neural tissue regeneration, increase elasticity and tissue perfusion and alleviate pain in people with chronic conditions [12][13][14]24,25]. The lack of randomized studies with a sham intervention on the impact of HIES on the pelvic floor muscles prompts this type of study [13,14].…”