About half of all women have bladder leakage at some point, and as many as 1 in 3 men over 65. It is common. It is also treatable.Figures from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
What the Gazelle is, and how it works
Your pelvic floor is a sling of muscles at the base of your pelvis. It holds your bladder up and keeps it shut until you decide to go. When those muscles get weak, or stop reacting fast enough, urine leaks out. Pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, age and prostate surgery are the most common reasons they weaken.
The Gazelle is a padded chair with a magnetic coil in the seat. You sit on it, fully dressed, for 20 minutes. A pulsed magnetic field reaches the pelvic floor muscles and makes them tighten and release, thousands of times in one session. It is the same work as a Kegel, done far more times than anyone could manage on their own. The technology is called extracorporeal magnetic innervation, or ExMI.
What the Gazelle is cleared to treat
- Stress incontinence: leaks when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift, run or jump.
- Urge incontinence: a sudden, strong need to go, and not always making it in time.
- Mixed incontinence: both of the above.
- Overactive bladder: needing to go far more often than you should, including at night.
- Pelvic floor weakness: muscles that need rebuilding, for example after childbirth.
These are the uses the manufacturer lists under the Gazelle’s FDA clearance.
Who the Gazelle is for
The Gazelle is for anyone whose bladder has started making decisions for them. Most people who ask about it fit one of these:
- Women after pregnancy and childbirth, whether the baby arrived six months ago or twenty years ago.
- Women in or after menopause, when leaks often start or get worse.
- Men after prostate surgery or treatment who are leaking in a way they never did before.
- People who have tried Kegels and are not sure they are doing them right, or stopped seeing any change.
- People who want to avoid surgery, daily medication or an internal procedure.
It is also for people who have simply started planning their lives around it: the pad in every bag, the seat nearest the restroom, the exercise class you quietly stopped going to.
Who should not use it
The Gazelle is not suitable if you are pregnant, have a pacemaker or another implanted electronic device, or have an active cancer in the pelvic area. If you have a hip replacement, other metal in the pelvis or an IUD, tell Dr. Scranton at your first visit so he can check it is safe for you.
Leaks that start suddenly, or come with pain, burning, blood in the urine, fever or trouble emptying your bladder, need your medical doctor first. Those can be signs of an infection or another problem that a chair will not fix.
Why it is worth dealing with now
Most people live with bladder leaks for years before they ask anyone about them. It is embarrassing, it creeps up slowly, and it is easy to tell yourself it is just part of getting older or having children. It is common. That does not mean you have to accept it.
Waiting has a cost. The pelvic floor is a group of muscles, and muscles tend to get weaker with age when nothing is done about them. Meanwhile the workarounds keep growing: more pads, shorter walks, the trip you turn down, the grandchild you do not pick up and swing.
A typical Gazelle plan runs about eight weeks. Book this week and you could be through the full course in about two months, instead of still wondering about it next year.
Why people choose Dr. Scranton for this
It is private
You stay fully dressed. There is no internal exam, no probe and nothing to undress for. You sit for 20 minutes, then walk out and carry on with your day.
He tells you the truth
If Dr. Scranton does not think the Gazelle is right for you, he will say so at the first visit. No plan is written that you have not agreed to. We are not going to give you false hope.
He has done this for a long time
Palmer College of Chiropractic, class of 1999, and more than 10,000 patients since. Your plan is set by him, after he has sat down with you and heard what is going on.
What to expect at your first visit
1. A private conversation. You tell Dr. Scranton what is happening: when the leaks started, when they happen and what you have already tried. Nobody hurries you, and nothing you say will surprise him.
2. A straight answer. Whether the Gazelle is a fit for you, whether anything should be checked by your medical doctor first, and what a plan would look like. If he does not think he can help you, he will tell you.
3. Your sessions. Twenty minutes, sitting fully clothed. Most people feel a tingling and a strong tightening in the pelvic floor, set to a strength that is comfortable for you. The manufacturer’s standard plan is three sessions a week for eight weeks, with an occasional top-up session after that.
The first visit is $47, usually $180, and covers the consultation, the exam and the conversation afterwards. The cost of a Gazelle plan is explained at that visit, before you agree to anything.
Questions people ask about the Gazelle and bladder leaks
Does the Gazelle actually work?
Magnetic pelvic floor stimulation has been studied since the late 1990s, and many of those studies report fewer leaks and a better quality of life. Most of the studies are small, and results vary from person to person. Some research also suggests the benefit fades after about a year without top-up sessions, which is why the manufacturer recommends them. Dr. Scranton will tell you honestly whether he expects it to help you.
Does it hurt, and do I have to undress?
No to both. You sit on the chair fully clothed. Most people describe a tingling and a strong tightening of the pelvic floor muscles. It can feel strange the first time, but it should not hurt, and the strength is set to what is comfortable for you.
How many sessions will I need, and when will I notice a difference?
The manufacturer’s standard plan is three 20-minute sessions a week for eight weeks, 24 in total, with a top-up session about every six months. Some people notice a change within the first few weeks. For others it takes most of the plan. Dr. Scranton will tell you what he suggests for you at your first visit.
Is the Gazelle better than doing Kegels?
It is not one or the other. Kegels help when they are done correctly and often, and many people struggle with both. The Gazelle makes the muscles contract for you, thousands of times in one session, so it does not depend on getting the technique right. Many people try it after Kegels on their own have stopped making a difference.
Does the Gazelle work for men?
Yes. Men use the Gazelle as well as women, most often for leaking after prostate surgery or treatment. The session is the same: 20 minutes, seated, fully clothed.
How is the Gazelle different from Emsella?
Both are FDA-cleared chairs that use a magnetic field to work the pelvic floor while you sit fully dressed. Emsella uses a technology its maker calls HIFEM, with sessions of about 28 minutes. The Gazelle uses ExMI, with 20-minute sessions over a longer plan. If you have seen Emsella advertised, the idea is the same.
Action Chiropractic is at 2964 West 4700 South #102, on the West Valley City and Taylorsville border, a minute off the I-215. It is an easy drive from Kearns, Magna, West Jordan, South Jordan and the rest of the Salt Lake valley.
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