![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
NHS Procurement
The PelvicToner is included within the Drug Tariff Part IXA-Appliances in the new category of Pelvic Toning Devices. The PelvicToner is listed by Chemist & Druggist with the PIP Code 359-4520 and is available from Alliance Healthcare or Phoenix Healthcare Distribution or directly from Solution Project Management Ltd. (SPM Ltd). Just call 0117 974 3534 or email your order to [email protected] If you are a pharmacist or health practitioner and would like to receive further details ring 0117 974 3534 or click here to email your contact details to place an order with SPM Ltd.
Why is the PelvicToner so relevant today? |
![]()
|
This extract from a Sunday Times article 25 June 2011 puts everything into perspective "Many women see delivering a baby as an emotional high point and could not imagine missing a second of agonising pain, despite the fact that, according to the Lancet, up to one in three of them will afterwards suffer some form of incontinence, and up to one in six some form of sexual dysfunction. In the 266-page Nice document are figures of 64% of women suffering sexual problems six months after childbirth, and a 21% risk of incontinence. An average figure of almost £7,000 is given for lifetime treatment of incontinence, and that is still assuming everyone dies by the age of 80. And fewer than two in three of the women affected actually see a doctor. No treatment at all is suggested for sexual problems. “You do see a lot of British women with vaginas you could drive a bus up,” one woman obstetrician remarked graphically. “I think a lot of them just accept that forgoing sexual pleasure is the price they have to pay for having children.” Clinical evidence
The PelvicToner exercise program was taught and surveys were completed initially and at 8 weeks and study completion at 16 weeks. Pelvic tone pressure measurements at rest and during voluntary contraction effort were taken initially, and at 3, 8 and 16 weeks. 15 subjects completed the full course. Subjective improvement was noted by 73% of study subjects. In the entire group overall mean resting pelvic muscle tone improved by 9.6%, while mean Kegel strength increased by 28%. In the 7 of 15 subjects with improved resting tone, the mean increase was 38%. Thirteen of fifteen subjects (87%) had improved Kegel strength. Average pelvic tone measurements were increased at 3 weeks and continued to increase at 8 and 16 weeks. Subjective data collected by surveys revealed overall improvement in sexual satisfaction, bladder function and satisfaction with the program and use of the device. Thirteen (87%) of the participants indicated that they would continue the program and using the device on an ongoing basis. |
At the commencement of the trial in 2008 Paul Abrams the Professor of Urology at BUI had said: "It is 60 years since Arnold Kegel proposed pelvic floor exercises as a treatment for stress incontinence but a simple, effective method of putting all his principles into practice has eluded us. The PelvicToner seems to meet all the requirements that Kegel envisaged - it is a simple, patient-friendly, progressive resistance exercise device and provides feedback to the patient that the correct muscles are being engaged.” This optimism was well founded. The report author, Professor Marcus Drake, notes how the use of the PelvicToner can help overcome the fundamental weaknesses associated with PFME ie poor training, lack of patient confidence and poor compliance with the exercise recommendations. Key points noted by the research are that:
The findings of the trial have been presented at national and international conferences including the ICS Conference, San Francisco, September 2009.
|
The PelvicToner works on the basis of the key principles identified by Arnold Kegel, and helps the user identify and isolate the correct muscles and then you exercise by squeezing against resistance. The user gets instant feedback to show
they are squeezing correctly and, as the user improves, she can increase the resistance in stages to make your exercise more demanding. It's so simple to use and takes just five minutes a day.
The PelvicToner exercise regime, as recommended, is significantly more demanding and more effective than traditional PFMT which recommend just a daily total of 10 x fast pull-ups and 10x slow pull-ups. Users of the PelvicToner are recommended to start with three sets of ten repetitions at the lowest resistance building to three sets of 50 or more based on personal ambition and ability. Users start with the lowest level of resistance but can build through 5 progressive levels. Kegel viewed the use of a progressive resistance, increasing in line with ability, as fundamental. He also recommended a minimum of 300 squeezes per session. The current NHS teaching methods do Kegel a total disservice by associating his name with a totally watered-down version of his exercises! In the clinical trial the aim was to compare the two methods on a level playing field so the users of the PelvicToner were restricted to a daily total of 10 x fast pull-ups and 10x slow pull-ups at the lowest resistance. Even on this basis the research concluded: “the PelvicToner Device (PTD) is not inferior to standard treatment, is safe and well tolerated, and increases patient choice. The PTD helped to isolate and focus on contracting the correct muscles, motivating (patients) to continue exercising." The consultant, Mr Marcus Drake points out that treatment, such as electro-stimulation and vaginal weights or cones, have been deemed as ‘inferior’ in clinical trials. This leads to the obvious conclusion that the PelvicToner is therefore superior to the use of electro-stimulation and vaginal weights or cones. Several papers by nurses and physiotherapists have identified that the traditional PFMT methods fail because: "Pelvic floor exercises are often poorly taught and ineffectively carried out, patients often fail to engage the correct muscles and fail to continue with the exercises as prescribed." All of these weaknesses in the current approach are directly overcome with the PelvicToner. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that women are much more likely to continue with the exercises if they experience a very rapid improvement in their symptoms. With traditional PFMT they are advised to exercise for three months and many physiotherapists do not expect to see an improvement any sooner than this. In the absence of progress many women just give up. |