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Magnetic Stimulation Against Bladder Weakness or Urinary Incontinence

QRS Pelvicenter rPMS, also known as magnetic stimulation, magnetic chair, or magnetic chair therapy, is a device-based pelvic floor therapy in which the pelvic floor musculature is strengthened by means of a pulsed magnetic field. The passive muscle training requires no active effort from the patient, which means that even patients with limited mobility can be treated effectively.

This family of procedures is called rPMS (repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation). The pelvic floor and the surrounding trunk and thigh musculature are activated via magnetically high-dosed pulse signals. The muscle fibers are rhythmically contracted and relaxed again without any voluntary effort from the patient.

How Does Magnetic Stimulation Work?

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Description of the Procedure

The effect of QRS Pelvicenter magnetic stimulation is comparable to the way TENS/EMS functions. However, from a technical point of view, magnetic chair therapy is the significantly more complex procedure. Muscles are brought to contraction via a current flow generated in the motor nerves. The advantages over electrical nerve stimulation are, on one hand, that no painful skin afferences occur, and on other hand, that the magnetic field of the QRS Pelvicenter penetrates significantly deeper into the tissue than all other methods.

The following diagram shows the dimensions of the magnetic field application at 60% of Pelvicenter power. The effective penetration depth at 60% power is around 120 mm. At higher levels, the penetration depth of the effective field increases to up to 150 mm. The width of the effective field of the magnetic field at 100% power is around 300 mm.

In Pelvicenter therapy, no current transmission takes place via cables, electrodes, or probes. Instead, QRS technology uses complex magnetic impulses of very high intensity, which reach deep into the body from the outside.

There, an electrical field is created that forces motor nerves into a natural discharge. This leads to a strong contraction of all muscles located in the supply area of these nerves. However, rPMS not only produces extreme muscle training, but also triggers afferent nerve impulses in proprioceptors (“measuring sensors in the musculature”), which stimulates to the central nervous system (CNS). There sits the so-called representation center for muscle movement and coordination, which undergoes significant restructuring processes and a reorganization as a result of the new signals. If the stimulated muscles (of the pelvic floor) later contract again completely naturally, this plastic reorganization of the CNS means that significantly more muscle fibers are addressed than before.

What is important here: sensory nerve fibers are not stimulated by magnetic stimulation due to their small diameter. Magnetic field therapy with the QRS Pelvicenter proceeds completely painlessly.

During a 15 to 20-minute therapy session on the QRS Pelvicenter, the pelvic floor musculature is contracted up to several thousand times. Pelvic floor training with the QRS Pelvicenter is incomparably stronger and more efficient than what can be achieved with classic pelvic floor training. There is no more effective, and at the same time more convenient, therapeutic measure for reactivating a weakened pelvic floor musculature.

Further detailed information is available on our Pelvicenter information page: Pelvicenter.com.

Who Is the Patient?

The patient potential ranges from women who have just given birth and want to prevent later urinary incontinence, to elderly women with bladder weakness who refuse an invasive urological procedure or for whom other classic measures are difficult to carry out.

rPMS is also suitable for patients who suffer from urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy. But impotence is also an important field of application. Most erectile dysfunctions are based either on a venous outflow disorder or on a restructuring process of the erectile tissue in the penis (fibrosis). For both, there is a plausible mechanism of action for rPMS treatment. Further information on this is available on our Pelvicenter information page under Indications.

Comparison with Classic Pelvic Floor Training

The University of Vienna conducted a study (August 2015) with 73 nursing home residents to compare the Pelvicenter with classic pelvic floor training. 39 individuals took part in classic pelvic floor training, while pelvic floor training on the Pelvicenter was carried out with 34 individuals. The forms of urinary incontinence were mixed incontinence and stress incontinence. The average age was around 80 years.

In addition to the therapy outcome, the subjective perceptions of both therapy methods were also compared. The conclusions drawn by the study organizer show that classic pelvic floor training, when applied in a consistent form under expert guidance, can achieve results similar to the technology-supported therapy with the Pelvicenter.
“Overall, however, it is evident that pelvic floor training is suitable for only a small proportion of residents of long-term care facilities, while Pelvicenter training represents a practicable form of treatment for individuals with mobility limitations and cognitive impairments. As a result, a significantly larger number of older people would gain access to appropriate and effective incontinence therapy.”

The results of the above-mentioned study mirror the results of all other studies and observations on this topic. Patient satisfaction is high. Discontinuation of therapy is therefore very rare. The Pelvicenter group was significantly more satisfied with the therapy than the pelvic floor training group. Pelvicenter: relief of urinary incontinence symptoms, significant reduction of urinary urgency, improvement of individual well-being. By contrast, classic conventional pelvic floor training: difficult to apply; moderate therapeutic success.

Additional Beneficial Effects

Muscle stimulation acts on the entire area of the body’s core. This means that the training not only trains the pelvic floor musculature, but also the musculature of the lower abdomen and back, the buttocks, the thighs, and the (dorsal) layer of the posterior hip musculature. These effects can otherwise only be achieved through athletic activity. Muscle stimulation with the Pelvicenter therefore has an extremely positive influence on the overall coordination capacity of the support apparatus. Further information is available on our Pelvicenter information page under Core Strength or Sarcopenia.

At frequency settings from 35 Hz upward, adhered fascia can be released, particularly in the lumbar region as well as in the gluteus maximus and medius (lumbago muscle). The high frequencies can even release muscle hardening and nerve entrapments within the treatment area.

Advantages for the Practitioner

Carrying out classic pelvic floor training with a patient proves difficult in many cases. A lack of willingness to cooperate on the part of many patients and poor discipline in carrying out the prescribed training at home are “the order of the day.”

This situation is decisively changed with the QRS Pelvicenter. The treating physician or therapist has the success in own hands, rather than having to make it dependent on the incalculable discipline of the patient or their willingness to cooperate.

Advantages for the Patient

The client sits in the QRS Pelvicenter and clearly feels how their muscles are working, yet completely without pain. The patient does not have to do anything about it. They can therefore do nothing wrong. The client does not need to undress, but can have the therapy sessions carried out in everyday clothing.

Manageable Treatment Duration

2 to 3 therapy sessions of 15 to 20 minutes each per week are recommended. A total of 10 to 20 treatments are needed for therapeutic success. Through the targeted medical strengthening therapy of the pelvic floor musculature, a noticeable improvement of complaints often sets in after only a few treatments.

Prospects of Success

Studies and clinical observations carried out have shown, alongside an outstanding responder result, a very high patient satisfaction. Provided that the causes of the problems arise from a weakened pelvic floor musculature, a significant improvement up to complete freedom from symptoms can be expected.

Study Situation

The study situation with regard to the treatment of urinary incontinence is clear. The success rate averages approximately 70%. In addition to our own observational data, 4 current studies are presently available.
A current evaluation of an observational study by the women’s clinic frauenPUNKT (Dr. Andrea Müller-Reid, October 19 to May 2020) found, in a female patient population of 16 patients suffering from stress incontinence, a remission rate of very high 92%.

Eine Studien-Übersicht finden Sie auf der Seite >Forschung >Studien oder im Detail auf unserer >Pelvicenter-Informationsseite unter den jeweiligen Indikationen. Bei Interesse senden wir Ihnen gerne eine Kopie der Original-Studie zu. Senden Sie dazu bitte eine E-Mail an: office@qrs.ag und fügen Sie bitte Ihrer Nachricht einen Legitimations-Nachweis bei.

Side Effects

• Muscle soreness – In a few cases, muscle soreness is possible after Pelvicenter therapy. As with classic muscle training, the muscle load or intensity should therefore be chosen moderately at the start of Pelvicenter therapy in order to avoid possible muscle soreness.

Further Information

Further information on the QRS 1010 Pelvicenter is available on the following website: