At this investigation, our objective was to examine the efficacy of noninvasive 300 kHz-1 MHz RF diathermy therapy on pelvic floor disorders. The design was retrospective with pre and post intervention assessments by an experienced pelvic floor physiotherapist using measurements for resting and maximal pelvic muscle contraction (UROstym max).
What is RF?
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is a common condition among women, often manifested by urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal laxity and pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen. There are various invasive and non-invasive treatments available to address PFD problems – surgery or physical therapy, among others – but they may not always provide relief; radio frequency energy treatment has proven more successful at improving its symptoms in a safe and non-invasive way.
Radio frequency therapy (RF) has proven highly successful at treating many conditions, such as vaginal laxity, prolapse, urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction. This is thanks to RF’s ability to stimulate collagen formation and tissue tightening while increasing blood flow and muscle contraction. Furthermore, studies have demonstrated its safety with minimal side effects when administered by experienced physiotherapists.
At the University of Sydney’s Pelvic Floor Clinic, 43 patients who had been referred for Radio Frequency Resurfacing treatment over two weeks received three sessions every fortnight over that time period. A biofeedback device known as UROstym (cardio design Peritron 9300 in Australia) was utilized to objectively evaluate strength of levator muscles pre and post PFR treatment; additionally the Female Sexual Function Index and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory questionnaires were completed pre/post. Descriptive statistics as well as Paired Sample T-test were utilized in order to analyze data.
Results from this study indicated that after receiving radiofrequency Pelvic Floor Retraining treatment for PFR, levator muscle tonicity increased and there was an improvement in fecal continence, quality of life and presence of genital hiatus assessed through clinical examination by a gynecologist pre and one month post treatment. This indicates 448kHz RF combined with Kegel exercises is an effective and safer treatment than just pelvic floor exercises alone for PFD; however it must be noted that limitations include lack of control groups as well as bias from researchers when conducting evaluation research.
How is RF used?
RF treatment provides an effective, non-invasive and hormone-free alternative to surgery. The procedure uses minimally invasive technology where a catheter is placed inside the vagina and the RF energy applied directly to endopelvic fascia in order to shrink and stabilize it, providing more support for bladder neck and urethra support – this technique is known as radiofrequency microremodeling or collagen denaturation.
Multiple studies have documented improvements in symptoms and quality of life for women living with pelvic floor disorders as a result of radio frequency (RF) treatment, such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP), urinary incontinence and vulva atrophy. Because RF treatment requires no anesthesia or recovery time, many women find it an attractive choice.
Regarding POP, one small study revealed that RF treatment significantly alleviated symptoms such as vaginal heaviness and bulging (17). Furthermore, one recent retrospective study demonstrated how using a monopolar capacitive resistive RF device with Kegel exercises significantly alleviates POP symptoms such as pelvic heaviness and prolapse (19).
Another recent study with this population demonstrated that bipolar radio frequency therapy (RF) treatments were superior to placebo treatments for alleviating symptoms associated with POP (20). This trial consisted of two types of RF treatments, including continuous application over an hour followed by Kegel exercises performed over 10 minutes; patients were then evaluated using UROstym, an instrument measuring resting and maximal muscle strength in response to contraction.
RF treatment was also linked with significant improvement on a VAS scale used by patients to assess stress incontinence symptoms, suggesting that shorter sessions with lower frequency proved more successful than longer treatments at higher frequencies (21). It was well tolerated without serious adverse events (21). Unfortunately, however, the study is limited due to its small sample size and because UROstym served both as muscle stimulator and measurement instrument – thus being too blinded an instrument to evaluate how RF impacts resting pelvic floor muscle activity.
What are the benefits of RF?
RF energy can be used to tighten inner and outer vaginal muscles, providing relief from conditions like urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse (POP). A consultant gynaecologist trained in this technique uses a wand placed inside your vulva. As it’s non-invasive treatment that doesn’t require stitches or downtime, you can receive this service either at their clinic or even from the comfort of your own home.
Many women experience laxity in the tissues of their vulva and pelvic floor, leading to loss of strength and tone, leading to urine leakage, bladder spasms, urinary incontinence and sexual satisfaction issues. This condition may also increase difficulty when pregnant, childbirth or menopausal. Causes for this may include ageing, vaginal delivery of pregnancy/childbirth or menopause symptoms as well as smoking/obesity or specific medical conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome/PCOS).
Studies have demonstrated the power of radiofrequency to greatly enhance pelvic floor muscle function. One such study compared patients who received three complete RF PFR treatments to those who only received one or two treatments; those receiving all three showed significantly greater improvement in urinary continence, sexual function, and lubrication compared with those only having received one or two treatments.
Another study evaluated the impact of radiofrequency (RF) therapy on urinary incontinence and other outcomes using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Researchers discovered that RF significantly improves VAS scores for women suffering stress incontinence by providing better support to urethra and bladder neck areas. They also concluded that it significantly enhanced quality of life for genuine stress incontinence sufferers by decreasing symptoms like dribbling, leakage and changes in sensation during lovemaking sessions.
Research has also demonstrated the ability of radio frequency (RF) treatment to increase collagen production, helping reduce vaginal laxity. Other benefits include improved sexual pleasure, feeling of fuller vagina and better lubrication; however, more research needs to be conducted in order to determine which form of RF treatment would provide optimal solutions for vaginal laxity related issues.
What are the risks of RF?
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD) is an issue plaguing women worldwide, leading to urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction and pelvic organ prolapse. Patients suffering from PFD often report experiencing pelvic pain, bulging and heaviness in the lower abdomen. Restoration treatments aim to alleviate symptoms through strengthening muscles of the pelvic region – one such therapy using radiofrequency energy is Radiofrequency Frequency therapy; it tightens muscles of vagina by using radiofrequency energy – this has proven successful at improving sexual function as well as improving pelvic floor stability – noninvasively providing relief for women living with PFD.
RF energy penetrates deeper tissue layers to release collagen protein that forms supportive networks to increase vaginal tone and strengthen pelvic floor muscles, helping reduce atrophy and restore shape of urethra. Furthermore, this therapy may help ease stress incontinence by improving bladder support as well.
Childbirth, aging and weight gain can all lead to weakening of pelvic floor muscles, including child incontinence. With reduced muscle strength comes stress incontinence, urinary leaks and pelvic organ prolapse – and while pelvic floor exercises may help mild urinary incontinence issues like mild urinary incontinence they do not always address severe leakage; radiofrequency therapy such as that offered in my office (EmpowerRF treatment) may provide effective solutions.
Non-invasive radiofrequency (RF) treatment can also relieve pelvic pain, heaviness and sexual discomfort while strengthening pelvic muscles to reduce urine flow and incontinence. According to recent research findings, researchers found RF could help improve both pelvic pain and quality of life for those suffering from fecal incontinence; however further evaluation should take place to fully determine its efficacy in this patient population.
