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Published on 20/6/17
The impact of urinary incontinence on people’s lives is “atrocious” says Dr. Ruth Maher, an associate professor at the Department of Physical Therapy, Creighton University in Omaha.
“Women don’t exercise so they put on weight. They get depressed. They are fearful of what to wear. They plan shopping trips around where the bathrooms are. They pack extra underwear in their bag. They’re terrified of leakage during sex and so damage and even ruin otherwise happy relationships.
“And for men already battling the impact of prostate conditions on their lives, they are subjected to embarrassing leaks and degrading treatments that only add to their suffering.
“No-one should have to suffer from urinary leakage. Men and women across the country can regain their confidence and take back control of their lives by focusing on restoring their pelvic floor muscles”.
Dr. Ruth Maher is one of the original four inventors of Innovotherapy, a revolutionary non-invasive treatment for pelvic floor weakness in both men and women. Innovotherapy directly targets pelvic floor weakness — the root cause of urinary leaks — unlike many other treatments which simply mask symptoms.
“When running my own practice in the US, I became frustrated when trying to teach women how to do strengthening pelvic floor contractions. I started using ultrasound imaging and noticed that when a woman said they were doing pelvic floor exercises, they were actually doing inappropriate contractions using muscle groups other than the pelvic floor ones.
“About 40% of women are unable to voluntarily do pelvic floor exercises. It’s a subtle contraction. People simply don’t have an awareness of the area – they find it hard to distinguish between their bum and the muscles inside the pelvis.
“From pelvic floor exercises to more ‘intrusive’ solutions, most strengthening approaches are reliant upon ‘doing it right’ – which for many sufferers is the problem – they can’t pinpoint and activate their pelvic floor so the exercises and systems they are using simply do not work.
“Innovotherapy sends targeted impulses via a set of conductive pads placed on your thighs and buttocks, to safely and effectively activate the muscles of the entire pelvic floor. It is a clinically proven technology which has been designed to optimally strengthen your pelvic floor, allowing the device to do the job for you, with 180 full contractions completed per session. Users can literally feel their entire pelvic floor muscles being activated without having to do anything at all, leaving no room for error.
“The person switches it on. They then increase the intensity to the maximum comfort level. They should feel a contraction high up between the legs. It’s a very unusual sensation. It recruits all the muscles so it feels like a very intense lift. With ultrasound, you can see it lift up the bladder. We’ve seen the contraction happen in 100% of women tested while using it.”
The device should be used at home, at least five times a week for 30 minutes at a time. The optimum position for wearing/using it is standing. Results from an independent study prove that women who experience stress incontinence will experience significant improvements in as little as four weeks by using INNOVO® five days a week for 30 minutes. 93% of users found a significant improvement after 4 weeks and 86% of users were defined as completely dry after 12 weeks.1
“It’s like winning the lottery. People say ‘I’m only getting the odd leak. I can wear white trousers again. I don’t have to always know where the bathroom is.”
Rebecca, 49, Innovo User
“Urinary leaks stopped me from do some of the things I loved, but thanks to INNOVO® I can now exercise again without worry”
“I started experiencing leaks after my first child. It got worse over the years, and eventually stopped me doing things. I used to enjoy exercises classes and was part of a running club; I once had to stop running half way through and go home, and it makes you feel extremely embarrassed. When I went to the doctors they simply told me to do pelvic floor exercises at home. I tried for a while but stopped doing them after failing to notice any improvement.
“I was really excited when a friend told me about INNOVO®. I started at a low intensity and gradually built up; it’s a strange feeling and you can actually feel it working. I’ve been using INNOVO® for 8 weeks now and I’ve noticed a real difference when I exercise, cough, sneeze etc. I’ve now got lots of friends wanting to give it a go!”
We also offer a pay by instalments option, with 6 instalments of £41.50.
1Soeder S, Tunn R. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) of the pelvic floor muscles using a non-invasive surface device in the treatment of stress UI (SUI); a pilot study. IUGA Poster Presentation Conference, 2013; Dublin, Ireland.
