Emsella Pelvic Floor Therapy in Logan Square, Chicago
The BTL Emsella is a noninvasive treatment for stress urinary incontinence. It uses high-intensity focused electromagnetic technology (HIFEM) to stimulate muscle contractions in your entire pelvic floor, the layer of muscles stretched like a hammock below the bladder, uterus, and bowels, and neuromuscular control. Strengthening your deep pelvic floor muscles can also help restore your bladder control.
This noninvasive treatment involves sitting fully clothed on the Emsella chair (sometimes called the "Kegel throne") for about 30 minutes.
The seat of the chair emits electromagnetic energy, which causes you to involuntarily contract your pelvic muscles 11,200 times in a single session. The contractions are painless but more powerful than regular Kegel exercises. There’s no downtime afterward.
Emsella works best as a series of six sessions scheduled twice a week, with follow-up sessions every 6 to 12 months. Some patients see results after a single session, with improvements over time.
What happens during treatment?
You’ll begin with a consultation with a board-certified doctor, who’ll assess whether Emsella is right for you based on your history of urinary incontinence, the type of incontinence you experience, and what its cause may be.
“While it primarily has been used for stress incontinence, there is evidence that Emsella also improves urge incontinence as well,” says Dr. Bhavlene Panesar, a physician in Edmonton, Alberta.
If you’re a good candidate for the treatment, your provider will show you how to position yourself on the Emsella chair to get the best results. You'll feel tingling and contractions of the pelvic floor muscles within the first five minutes of the treatment.
The experience shouldn’t be painful at all. While you may feel tingling or a “pulling” sensation in your pelvic floor area, you can read or listen to a podcast through the entirety of the treatment, which lasts about 28 minutes.
If you do feel any discomfort, your provider can lower the intensity and slowly dial it up once you’re more accustomed to it.
Immediately afterward, you can resume your daily activities. There are no reported side effects.
Ideal Candidates for Emsella Pelvic Floor Therapy
Women Experiencing Urinary Leakage & Incontinence
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI): Leaking urine involuntarily when laughing, sneezing, coughing, jumping, running, or lifting heavy objects.
Urge Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB): Experiencing sudden, overwhelming urges to urinate, frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the day, or waking up multiple times per night (nocturia).
Mixed Incontinence: A combination of both physical stress leakage and sudden urge symptoms.
Postpartum Mothers (New & Recent Moms)
Repair stretched or damaged pelvic floor muscle fibers after delivery.
Stop accidental leaks during post-baby workouts or daily lifting.
Help resolve diastasis recti (abdominal muscle separation) when combined with core-strengthening treatments like Emsculpt NEO.
Restore pelvic floor tone that can feel "lost" after carrying a pregnancy.
Women Experiencing Menopause & Hormonal Changes
Rebuilding Neuromuscular Tone: Re-educating deep pelvic floor muscles that no longer respond effectively to voluntary at-home Kegels.
Reducing Nighttime Urination (Nocturia): Calming overactive bladder signals so you can sleep through the night without frequent, disruptive bathroom trips.
Supporting Bladder & Uterine Prolapse: Strengthening the primary muscular support system for internal organs to help manage mild-to-moderate pelvic organ prolapse (POP) without surgery or uncomfortable pessaries.
Restoring Estrogen-Deprived Muscle Tissue: Stimulating local tissue remodeling and neuromuscular firing to counteract age-related pelvic muscle atrophy.
Men Seeking Bladder Control & Pelvic Health
Reduce urinary urgency, dribbling, and post-void leakage.
Accelerate bladder control recovery following prostatectomy or prostate surgery.
Strengthen the base pelvic muscles responsible for urinary retention and pelvic support.
Adults Looking to Improve Intimate Wellness
For Women: Improved pelvic muscle tone leads to increased sensation, better blood flow, and heightened intimate satisfaction.
For Men: Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles enhances local circulation and neuromuscular control in the pelvic base.
Active Adults & Athletes Seeking Non-Surgical Solutions
Eliminating Exercise-Induced Leakage: Preventing accidental leaks during high-impact movements like running, jump roping, box jumps, CrossFit, tennis, or heavy squatting.
Restoring Intra-Abdominal Pressure Management: Training your pelvic floor to automatically react and stabilize under physical stress, heavy loads, and sudden impact.
A Non-Invasive Alternative to Surgery: Providing a proven solution for active individuals who want to fix pelvic weakness without taking weeks or months off for surgical recovery, mesh implants, or downtime.
Improving Core & Postural Stability: Working in tandem with your deep abdominal and lower back muscles to create a solid foundation for physical performance and balance.