Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation with EmpowerRF: How It Works and What to Expect

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a surprisingly common health concern affecting millions of women — yet unfortunately, it’s often overlooked, with symptoms frequently attributed to the “natural” effects of aging. 

The fact is, PFD isn’t natural, and without treatment, it can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms, like urinary or fecal incontinence, pelvic discomfort, and sexual dysfunction. The good news: The team at Vivash Medspa helps treat PFD with the state-of-the-art nonsurgical EmpowerRF® system. Here’s how it works.

Understanding pelvic floor dysfunction

Your pelvic floor is an interconnected group of muscles, ligaments, and other connective tissues that form a sling across the base of the pelvis. This sling's primary purpose is to support your pelvic organs, including the bladder, uterus, and rectum. 

Pelvic floor dysfunction happens when this sling weakens or “stretches out” as a result of pregnancy, vaginal childbirth, significant weight gain, pelvic surgery, or hormonal changes associated with menopause. This weakening leads to an array of symptoms, like incontinence, pelvic pain, and sexual dysfunction.

Not only are these symptoms unpleasant, but they can cause a lot of embarrassment and anxiety, as well, particularly in social situations. Sexual dysfunction caused by PFD can lead to relationship issues, too. 

Traditionally, surgical repair was the only way to restore the pelvic floor and relieve PFD symptoms. But today, EmpowerRF offers an alternative, tightening and rehabilitating the pelvic floor without invasive surgery.

How EmpowerRF works

EmpowerRF uses radiofrequency (RF) energy and electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) to tone, strengthen, and rejuvenate the pelvic floor. RF energy is widely used in other medical therapies to promote tissue regeneration and natural healing — it’s even used cosmetically to tighten loose skin caused by aging or weight loss.

In EmpowerRF therapy, RF energy gently heats the vaginal and pelvic tissues, stimulating collagen production and increasing blood flow in the area. These effects help improve tissue elasticity and tone, battling vaginal laxity, dryness, and other PFD symptoms that contribute to incontinence and discomfort. 

At the same time, EMS technology engages the pelvic floor muscles, stimulating tiny muscle contractions that help rebuild strength for better pelvic support. Essentially, it’s like doing hundreds of Kegel exercises in a very short amount of time.

Your treatment session: What to expect

EmpowerRF treatment is performed right in our office, and each treatment takes about half an hour. During your session, your provider inserts a special wand-shaped applicator into your vaginal canal. The applicator delivers RF and EMS energy directly to your pelvic floor muscles and tissues.

Throughout your session, you may feel some contractions of warmth in the pelvic region. However, the treatment is well tolerated, and there is no need for anesthesia or numbing injections.

While you might experience some minor benefits after a single session, most women benefit from several treatments spaced out over several weeks. “Touch-up” treatments can be repeated to maintain your results. There’s no downtime, either, so you can return to your regular routine immediately afterward. 

Learn more about EmpowerRF

Pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t a “natural” part of aging — it’s a medical problem that can be treated. To learn more about pelvic floor rehabilitation using the noninvasive EmpowerRF system, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Vivash Medspa in Mahopac and Cold Spring, New York, today.