A high-tech solution to a vexing health issue that can bring misery to seniors in particular has been rolled out by a local medical clinic.

The Brown-Darrell Clinic in Smith’s, which introduced the electromagnetic Emsella chair in September, said the device appears to deliver a high success rate in treating urinary incontinence, which plagues a variety of the island’s patients.

Peris Ngahu, chief executive, said the idea caught the attention of clinic owner Ewart Brown, the former premier, about a year ago.

“We have found it to be a superior form of treatment, because most severe cases require treatment such as Botox or some surgical procedure,” she said.

Incontinence can be caused by a string of factor including pelvic surgery, childbirth, menopause, or the loss of muscle control by ageing.

Dr Ngahu said: “While there are no specific studies on incontinence prevalence in Bermuda, it likely aligns with the global prevalence — which is substantial.”

Discomfort and indignity aside, incontinence can prove an expensive nuisance for seniors struggling to make ends meet.

In 2017, The Royal Gazette profiled the case of an East End senior looking after her elderly spouse with dementia and prostate cancer who appealed for help from readers as she struggled to make ends meet.

Adult diapers, which provided a degree of comfort for her husband, were a particularly high expense: a packet of 20 can cost more than $30.

The issue was even raised in a March 2021 debate in the House of Assembly on the island’s cost of living.

Dr Ngahu said Dr Brown had noticed “a lot of cases of incontinence” when he ran a urology clinic and researched methods of treating it.

“I had a patient who could not even wake up and make it to the toilet, who after a few sessions has been able to hold it long enough, which I find amazing.”

Pelvic floor muscles allow the body to naturally hold back urine, but the muscles can weaken from illness, surgery, pregnancy or ageing.

She said the device had shown success in restoring muscle performance by stimulating and strengthening them.

While a workout known as Kegel exercises already exists to bolster pelvic floor muscles, Dr Ngahu said the clinic’s Emsella chair was showing better results

“Over the course of 28 minutes, you get approximately 12,000 muscle contractions,” she said.

“Unlike Kegels, you don’t have to use anything. You just sit there. Patients get a tingling sensation, but it is not painful, and there is no down time.”

Dr Ngahu said the feedback so far from patients had been “encouraging, though experiences vary”.

Patients who are pregnant, who have pacemakers or who have implants containing metal are unable to use the machine.

While a single session of the device costs $400, Dr Ngahu said six sessions over three weeks appeared sufficient to rein in incontinence.

“Six is recommended, but it depends on severity,” she said.