Innovation
Mediclinic Kloof now offers a non-invasive therapy that can help women strengthen their pelvic floor and manage symptoms such as urinary incontinence, pelvic floor disorders, and pelvic organ prolapse.
Pelvic care chair therapy offers an innovative approach to pelvic floor rehabilitation without surgery or significant downtime. The treatment is now available at obstetrician and gynaecologist Professor MC van Aardt’s practice at Mediclinic Kloof.
The unspoken impact of pelvic floor problems
Professor Van Aardt often sees patients with pelvic floor problems, including prolapse, urinary leakage, and weakened pelvic floor muscles after childbirth, ageing, or menopause. He felt pelvic care chair therapy could offer these women another helpful treatment option. “I wanted to offer patients a non-invasive option that can complement the treatments we already provide.”
Even though pelvic floor problems are extremely common, few women talk about them openly or approach a doctor, he says. This can make these symptoms difficult to treat, particularly when women assume they’re simply part of the normal ageing process or feel embarrassed to speak up. Without assessment and treatment, symptoms can worsen and affect confidence, daily activities, and emotional wellbeing.
“But there’s definitely treatment available, including pelvic care chair therapy and other therapies,” assures Professor Van Aardt. “The right treatment can have a huge positive impact on a woman’s quality of life.”
What is pelvic care chair therapy?
Pelvic care chair therapy is a non-invasive treatment that helps stimulate and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Although this therapy is already available in some parts of South Africa, it’s new to the Mediclinic Kloof area, making it a valuable option for women who live locally.
“The therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to stimulate the muscles of the pelvic floor,” Professor Van Aardt explains.
“The patient remains fully clothed and sits on the chair while the technology produces repeated pelvic floor muscle contractions. It’s ultimately a way of activating the pelvic floor muscles much more intensively than most patients can voluntarily.”
The aim is to stimulate and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, he says. This may help improve pelvic floor function and bladder control in patients who are suited to the treatment.
Patients usually start with six sessions. After this, their progress is assessed to see how well the therapy has worked and whether they may need more treatment.
For some patients, reduced symptoms may mean they need less further treatment. Others may still need a combination of treatments or more invasive options, depending on the cause and severity of their condition.
A multidisciplinary treatment approach
Professor Van Aardt stresses that it’s important to use pelvic chair treatment in conjunction with other therapies. “I don't see it as replacing good clinical assessment or pelvic floor physiotherapy. It’s another treatment option that we can incorporate into a broader pelvic floor service.”
He supports a more multidisciplinary approach to care, where different healthcare professionals work together rather than focusing on only one area. Even before introducing the pelvic care chair, Professor Van Aardt worked closely with pelvic floor physiotherapists to help prepare patients for surgery and support their recovery afterwards.
Pelvic floor physiotherapists do much more than help strengthen muscles, he explains. They also assess how the muscles work, how well they coordinate and relax, pain, and other pelvic floor problems. “I see the chair as complementary to pelvic floor physiotherapy rather than competing with it. This is just an added layer of treatment.”
Who may benefit from pelvic care chair therapy?
Pelvic care chair therapy isn’t suitable for everyone, so patients need to be assessed before starting treatment.
It’s not meant for pregnant women and may also not be suitable for those with certain implanted electronic or metal devices because the treatment uses electromagnetic energy. Patients who have recently had surgery may need to wait until they’ve healed properly.
A doctor will check each patient’s medical history and the treatment system being used before deciding whether the therapy is suitable.
“The patients I would generally consider for this treatment are those with pelvic floor weakness or urinary incontinence, especially stress or mixed urinary incontinence where pelvic floor dysfunction is contributing,” Professor Van Aardt says.
“However, not every patient with urinary leakage needs a pelvic chair. We must first establish why they’re leaking. My role as a gynaecologist is to discuss the full range of appropriate options and assess the individual rather than trying to make one treatment fit every patient.”