Electrostimulation or biofeedback for my pelvic floor training?

Biofeedback and electrostimulation are two widely used techniques for pelvic floor training. It’s important that you understand the differences between the two and choose the one that suits you best. Here’s a detailed breakdown and comparison of electrostimulation and biofeedback.

• Distinguish active and passive work: Understand the difference between pelvic floor electrostimulation and biofeedback
• Vary training positions: Discover how the equipment you use influences your training.
• Stay motivated through play: Understand the value of connected solutions, such as the Emy Trainer pelvic floor trainer, which turn muscle strengthening into fun exercises to help you stay consistent at home.

Electrostimulation VS biofeedback

These two techniques have little in common apart from their main goal: to tone and strengthen your pelvic floor. Biofeedback, like pelvic floor electrostimulation, is one of two methods commonly used by healthcare professionals.

The good news is that, after seeing a practitioner, women can continue to tone their pelvic floor at home thanks to at-home solutions. Let’s look in more detail at the main differences between these two types of devices.

Pelvic floor training through electrostimulation

In the case of electrostimulation, the technology uses small electrical currents to stimulate your pelvic floor. More specifically, a vaginal pelvic floor trainer connected to a control unit delivers electrical impulses that reflexively stimulate the muscles of your pelvic floor.

So you don’t need to make any effort. Here, it’s the electrostimulation pelvic floor trainer that does the work, while you remain passive.

What is pelvic floor electrostimulation used for?

Electrostimulation can be helpful when you don’t know how to locate your pelvic floor or contract it. Electrical stimulation can help you become more aware of it and know where it is. With this method, you do not voluntarily perform pelvic floor contractions.

As a result, the patient does not learn how to carry out a pelvic floor contraction with electrostimulation. The pelvic floor is stimulated by involuntary contractions.

When should you do rehabilitation with electrical stimulation?

In the case of postpartum pelvic floor training, the French National Authority for Health does not recommend using electrostimulation because nerve damage is often associated with childbirth. In many cases, women use electrostimulation for a short period and as a first approach, to learn how to learn how to locate your pelvic floor.

Once you’ve really got the hang of it, healthcare professionals recommend doing active exercises over the long term to train your pelvic floor muscles.

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Pelvic floor recovery with biofeedback

Unlike pelvic floor electrostimulation, biofeedback is based on learning how to contract voluntarily. With this method, it’s up to the woman or person to voluntarily contract their pelvic floor. Biofeedback therefore lets you be active in your pelvic floor recovery. In practical terms, a vaginal device detects and records the muscle contractions of the pelvic floor.

The signal is then shown visually to the patient on a device screen in real time. This technique therefore helps you become aware of and see your pelvic floor contractions in real time on a screen. With this feedback, the patient can tell whether they carried out the requested exercise correctly and whether they contracted their pelvic floor properly or not.

What is pelvic floor biofeedback used for?

Biofeedback is useful for training all the pelvic floor muscles. It’s a technique that helps you work on the voluntary contractions of the pelvic floor by alternating contraction and relaxation exercises.

What’s more, it’s a sporty, natural solution, since you train your pelvic floor yourself. Biofeedback trainers work like sensors for your contractions, giving you a way to track your progress. It’s you who trains and learns how to control your pelvic floor muscles during training sessions.

In short, biofeedback is a powerful tool that strengthens and improves your mind-body connections as you learn to use it. According to the scientific literature, it’s one of the most effective methods for pelvic floor strengthening.

When should you do biofeedback training?

Biofeedback makes it possible to learn how to contract the pelvic muscles voluntarily and, above all, become aware of how they work. There are no contraindications in the case of postpartum pelvic floor recovery.

Unlike electrostimulation, with biofeedback it’s possible to gain great mastery of your pelvic floor.This technique also helps you build automatic reflexes and muscle responses to protect your pelvic floor in everyday life (when coughing, sneezing, lifting something heavy, and so on).

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Electrical stimulation and biofeedback: 2 complementary techniques

Pelvic floor electrical stimulation can be a starting point for biofeedback. This technique can be helpful if you can’t feel your pelvic floor or don’t know how to contract it. By varying the intensity of the electrical current, you can train your pelvic floor in different ways. Depending on the chosen programme, you can carry out more targeted training adapted, for example, to the type of incontinence you’re living with.

Once you can feel your pelvic floor well enough to contract it yourself, you can take over with a biofeedback device. In any case, it’s important to know how to contract your pelvic floor properly before you start using biofeedback technology.

Advantages and disadvantages of electrical stimulation and biofeedback devices

Session length and training frequency

An electrical stimulation session is fairly long and depends on the chosen programme. Sessions usually last 20 to 60 minutes on average. It’s also recommended to do sessions 2 to 5 times a week, depending on the device.

Biofeedback sessions are shorter and last 5 to 20 minutes. The number of sessions needed depends on your needs (prevention, urinary incontinence, prolapse, etc.) but can range from 1 to 5 times a week, depending on the case.

For particularly complex situations, the number of treatment sessions may be much higher. One of the issues often seen in rehabilitation is sticking with pelvic floor training, which is often seen as tedious. In any case, whatever method you choose, if you want to see results quickly, you need to be as consistent as possible with your exercises.

How to use it

The only recommended position with a pelvic floor electrical stimulator is generally the lying down position. These devices are often wired and connected to a control unit, which greatly limits movement.

Biofeedback devices are mostly wireless and connected to a smartphone. This setup gives you much greater freedom of movement. The exercises can be done in different positions, such as lying down, sitting or standing. The movements are then as close as possible to training in “real-life” conditions.

Ease of use and motivation

Electrical stimulation devices are quite easy to use. They generally don’t have many buttons and feature a small screen showing the session information (programme, duration, stimulation intensity). However, take care when using them, as women may experience pain. This is usually the case if the user sets the electrical current intensity incorrectly.

Just like pelvic floor electrical stimulators, biofeedback devices are also easy to use. The instructions on the smartphone guide the patient. The exercises to be carried out during the training session are presented on the screen in the form of fun games.

The patient sees her contractions in real time. Biofeedback devices do not deliver any electrical impulses or vibrations. As a result, pain is less common with this type of device.

In addition, biofeedback devices enable ongoing tracking of the work done and progress across different muscle indicators. They could be compared to virtual coaches that help you stay motivated over time as you do your pelvic floor training exercises.

Some devices such as the Emy Trainer pelvic floor trainer even offer treatment personalisation by a healthcare professional so that each woman’s home training can be adapted. This is a real advantage, as it enables each woman to perform more targeted strengthening. Thanks to tailor-made exercises, patients train at home with maximum effectiveness.

In summary: electrostimulation or biofeedback, which should you choose?

Both techniques have their own advantages and features. If we had to keep just one key difference? In one case you are passive (pelvic floor electrostimulation) and in the other you are active (biofeedback). So depending on your main motivation and your situation, one or the other will probably suit you better.

You can’t feel your pelvic floor and don’t know how to contract it? Start with electrostimulation sessions.

Do you already know how to contract your pelvic floor well? Would you like to keep strengthening it to build reflex contractions that protect it in everyday life? Biofeedback is for you!

Maybe your pelvic floor is too tense and not relaxed? Or perhaps you’re living with a mental health condition or severe depression? Biofeedback, like electrostimulation, may not be suitable for you or your situation. The safest approach is to speak to a healthcare professional to find the solution that suits you best.

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The essentials for a healthy Pelvic Floor

In short, choosing the pelvic floor training method best suited to your needs is a vital investment in your future comfort. Keep these key points in mind for an informed choice:

• From awareness to independence: pelvic floor electrostimulation helps you locate weakened muscles, but biofeedback is the ideal option for turning that awareness into real, lasting muscle strength.
• Action at the heart of results: unlike the passive approach of electrotherapy, active training helps you build voluntary contraction reflexes that are essential for protecting your bladder and organs during everyday exertion.
• Technology to support your motivation: use the Emy Trainer pelvic floor trainer to do your rehabilitation with biofeedback at home. It's one of the best ways to stay consistent thanks to adaptive mini-games, while benefiting from the quality of an expert, non-invasive medical device.

Sources

• Pelvic Floor Muscle Rehabilitation Using Biofeedback, Diane Kaschak Newman, July 2014, Urologic Nursing 34(4):193-202 - link
• Rehabilitation in the context of postpartum care, Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), December 2002, Clinical practice recommendation (HAS) - link