The Emsella chair uses a magnetic field to make the pelvic floor muscles tighten and relax while you sit on it, fully clothed. It is offered for leaking urine. Supervised exercises come first. A session is from J$10,000. You start with a consultation with Dr. Charles Rockhead, from J$11,000.
No obligation · Every consultation is in-person with Dr. Rockhead.
Emsella at a glance
Dr. Rockhead
Your consultation is with him
In person
Consultation before anything is booked
From J$10,000
A session. Quoted in writing first
9 Devon Road
Kingston, Jamaica
No obligation
You decide after the consultation
WhatsApp
Questions answered privately
Every visit, without exception
Four things that are true of every visit
A consultation first
Your first visit is with Dr. Rockhead, in person. Sessions on the chair are booked after it.
The cause of the leak
Leaks have different causes. Yours is looked for before anything is planned.
Your choices explained
He explains your options, including not having the treatment.
The plan in writing
You get your plan and your quote in writing before you decide.
Treatment Details
A leak is worth a doctor's time.
Doctors sort leaks into kinds. One comes when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise: they call it stress incontinence, though it has nothing to do with worry. Another is a sudden, strong urge that you cannot hold. They are treated differently, so the first step is finding out which you have. Private question? Message us on WhatsApp.
What is the Emsella chair, and what is it offered for?
The chair is made by a company called BTL.
What it is offered for
Leaking urine. Results differ from person to person. Dr. Rockhead talks you through what to expect for you before anything is booked.
What comes first
For leaks on coughing or exercise, NICE says pelvic floor muscle training with supervision, for at least three months: you squeeze and relax the muscles around the bladder and vagina, at least eight squeezes, three times a day. For urgency leaks, it says bladder training for at least six weeks. MedlinePlus says many women do not do the exercises correctly, even when they believe they are.
What "FDA-cleared" means
The US Food and Drug Administration cleared two of the maker's devices, in 2016 and 2018, in its class of stimulators for incontinence. Cleared means the FDA accepted that a device is much like an older one. It is not the same as FDA approval.
A bulge needs an examination
A prolapse is where an organ of the pelvis bulges into the vagina. A bulge or a feeling of heaviness needs an examination.
Before you decide
Training is the first step.
The European guideline reports NICE's finding that for about half of women with leaks on coughing or exercise, pelvic floor muscle training works as well as an operation.
For moderate or severe leaks, it reports that a sling operation works better. The chair does not replace the training. Dr. Rockhead sees you first, to check what kind of leak it is and whether anything rules the chair out.
02Medical Leadership
Who do you meet, and what is checked first?
You meet Dr. Charles Rockhead, a gynaecologist, in person, at 9 Devon Road in Kingston. NICE recommends a urine test for every woman with leaks, and an internal check that you can tighten the right muscles before training starts. For the chair itself you stay dressed, but he may ask to examine you at this visit. You can say no.
Tell him about these
Blood in your urine, pain or burning when you pass urine, urine infections that keep coming back, lasting bladder pain, trouble starting or emptying, a bulge or heaviness in the vagina, leaking stool as well, or pelvic surgery or radiotherapy in the past. Each may need a specialist first.
Dr. Charles Rockhead, Medical Director — Oshun Cosmetic Services, Kingston.
Dr. Charles Rockhead
Medical Director · Board-Certified OB/GYN · 30+ years of practice
Dr. Charles Rockhead is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with more than thirty years of practice in Kingston. He is the Medical Director of Oshun Cosmetic Services and the founding physician of Amadeo Medical Group, the parent clinical practice.
Empty your bladder. Wear loose clothes, and take metal out of your pockets: keys, coins, your phone, jewellery.
ii.
On the chair
You sit on the chair fully clothed, and the strength is turned up step by step. Say at once if it hurts.
iii.
What the maker says
The maker says you feel tingling and muscle contractions. A session usually lasts about 30 minutes, and it should stop if you report uncomfortable pain. You can go back to your daily activities straight after.
iv.
The course
Plan about 45 minutes for each visit. The maker describes about six sessions, two a week. We review how you are doing at the end of the course.
04What to expect
What to expect, and when a leak needs help fast.
A sudden leak with other signs
This is not about the chair. If you suddenly lose control of your urine and also have trouble talking or walking, sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in an arm or leg, loss of vision, confusion or fainting, or loss of bowel control, go to a hospital at once.
See a doctor about these
Cloudy or bloody urine, pain or burning when you pass urine, a fever, trouble starting, dribbling, or needing to go often or urgently. Call us on (876) 676-6297. We are closed at night and from Friday to Sunday. If we are closed and it cannot wait, go to a hospital.
What you may notice
Results differ from person to person. Dr. Rockhead talks you through what to expect for you, and we review how you are doing at the end of the course.
Keep up the exercises
MedlinePlus says most people notice some improvement after four to six weeks of pelvic floor exercises, and that it may take as long as three months to see a major change.
05Risks
The risks, and who should not have it.
The risks
Tingling and strong muscle contractions during a session are expected, and it should stop if it hurts. None of the health bodies above lists side effects for the chair. A chair does not find the cause of a leak, which is why the consultation comes first.
Who should not have it
Not with a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator or any other implanted electronic device, or with metal implants. Not in pregnancy, during your period, with a urine infection, within six weeks of pelvic surgery, or with a copper coil. At the consultation, tell Dr. Rockhead which coil you have and about any metal in your body.
06Cost & booking
How much does the Emsella chair cost in Jamaica?
What it costs
A session is from J$10,000, and the maker's usual course is about six. The consultation with Dr. Rockhead is from J$11,000. Ask us what the whole course costs, and whether you can pay session by session.
When we are open
Monday and Wednesday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Closed Friday to Sunday.
Paying
Cash, debit card, credit card or approved financing. Health insurance does not usually cover it. We give you an itemised receipt.
If this sounds right
The next step is a conversation, not a commitment.
Start with a consultation, in person, with Dr. Rockhead.
