Emsella is a noninvasive treatment for urinary incontinence that uses electromagnetic energy to rapidly contract the pelvic floor muscles while you sit fully clothed on a specialized chair. Each 28-minute session triggers thousands of contractions that are far stronger than anything you could achieve through Kegel exercises alone. The treatment is FDA-cleared for both men and women and requires no downtime.
How Emsella Works
The chair contains a focused electromagnetic field that penetrates the pelvic floor from below. This field activates the motor neurons controlling your pelvic muscles, forcing them to contract involuntarily. These contractions are called “supramaximal,” meaning they’re more intense than what your brain can voluntarily produce. Think of it as a concentrated, high-speed workout for muscles you may not even know how to engage on your own.
Over the course of a session, thousands of these contractions rebuild muscle strength and retrain the nerve-to-muscle signaling that controls bladder function. Weak or damaged pelvic floor muscles are one of the most common reasons people leak urine when they cough, sneeze, laugh, or feel a sudden urge to go. By strengthening those muscles and restoring their connection to the nervous system, Emsella addresses one of the root causes of incontinence rather than just managing symptoms.
What a Session Feels Like
You sit on the Emsella chair fully clothed for about 28 minutes. During the session, you’ll feel a tingling sensation and rhythmic pelvic floor contractions. The contractions are frequent but not painful. Most people find it comfortable enough to read, scroll their phone, or hold a conversation throughout the treatment. Some describe it as an unusual buzzing or vibrating sensation that takes a minute to get used to but quickly becomes unremarkable.
A standard course involves six sessions, typically scheduled twice per week over three weeks. There’s no recovery period. You can return to normal activities immediately after each visit.
How Effective Is Emsella?
Clinical results show meaningful improvement for most patients, though Emsella is generally less effective than surgical options. In one comparative study, 55% of Emsella patients saw normalized bladder function on urodynamic testing after treatment, compared to about 72% for patients who had surgical repair. Incontinence severity scores dropped from an average of 13.4 to 8.2 on a standardized scale, representing a noticeable reduction in leaking episodes and urgency.
Quality of life scores also improved substantially. Patients reported less distress and fewer daily disruptions from pelvic floor symptoms after completing their sessions. About 64% of patients with mild pelvic organ prolapse improved to a minimal stage after treatment. These are solid numbers for a procedure that involves no incisions, no anesthesia, and no recovery time.
That said, results vary based on age, the severity of your incontinence, and lifestyle factors. Emsella tends to work best for mild to moderate incontinence and for people whose pelvic floor muscles still have enough integrity to respond to stimulation. Severe cases may need surgical intervention or a combined approach.
Side Effects and Safety
Side effects are uncommon and almost always minor. A review of 28 studies found that more than half reported zero side effects, and among the five studies that did report them, only a small fraction of patients were affected. The issues that came up included temporary muscle soreness (similar to what you’d feel after an intense workout), mild back pain, tingling, and occasional digestive changes like diarrhea or constipation. All reported side effects were described as temporary and did not interfere with treatment outcomes.
There is a theoretical risk of muscle overload if the pelvic floor muscles are pushed too hard, which could lead to temporary weakness or a longer recovery between sessions. Mild tissue warming from the electromagnetic energy is also possible, though clinically significant overheating has not been a documented problem in published studies.
Who Should Not Get Emsella
The treatment is not suitable for everyone. You should not use Emsella if you have metal implants in or near the pelvic area, are pregnant, have had a recent surgical procedure, or are currently undergoing another treatment for urinary incontinence. Cardiac pacemakers and other implanted electronic devices are also contraindications because the electromagnetic field can interfere with their function.
Beyond Incontinence: Pelvic Floor and Sexual Health
Strengthening the pelvic floor has effects beyond bladder control. The same muscles play a central role in sexual function for both men and women. A review of six randomized trials found that pelvic floor rehabilitation produced significant improvements in erectile function, with the best-conducted study showing a meaningful improvement on standardized erectile function scores at three months. For women, a stronger pelvic floor is associated with improved sensation and satisfaction during sex, though most of the direct Emsella research has focused on incontinence outcomes specifically.
Many providers market Emsella for sexual wellness alongside incontinence treatment. While the FDA clearance is specifically for urinary incontinence and pelvic floor rehabilitation, the physiological connection between pelvic muscle strength and sexual function is well established.
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Emsella is typically an out-of-pocket expense. Most sessions range from $250 to $500 each, with a full six-session course costing roughly $1,500 to $3,000 depending on your location and provider. Some clinics offer package pricing.
Medicare covers pelvic floor electrical stimulators that are inserted vaginally or rectally for incontinence treatment, but only after a patient has tried and failed a documented course of pelvic muscle exercises first. Emsella, as an external electromagnetic device, falls into a different category and is not typically covered by Medicare or most private insurance plans. It’s worth checking with your specific insurer, but plan to pay out of pocket.
How Long Results Last
Results from a full treatment course are not permanent. Like any form of muscle conditioning, the benefits gradually diminish if you stop maintaining them. Most providers recommend a maintenance session every two to three months to sustain pelvic floor strength. Postpartum women or those with chronic incontinence may benefit from more frequent touch-ups. Combining Emsella with regular Kegel exercises and an active lifestyle can help extend the results between sessions.