
When you’re experiencing urinary incontinence or sexual dysfunction, you might immediately put blame on your bladder and other respective organs. However, there may be another culprit to the issues you experience: your pelvic floor.
Your pelvic floor is responsible for more of your lower bodily functions than you might think, and when your pelvic floor is experiencing issues, it can affect several other surrounding organs. That is why we offer pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI. Our providers at Harbour Direct Primary Care target the root of your symptoms to truly treat the cause of your concerns, rather than just targeting symptoms.
In this blog, we’ll explain everything you should know about your pelvic floor, how to identify pelvic floor dysfunction, and what options you have for treatment.
What is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a collection of muscles and connective tissues stretching from the front of your pubic bone to your tailbone. These muscles are responsible for helping stabilize your core and supporting other organs like your bladder, digestive tract, the uterus, and the prostate. It also helps to protect your spine and organs from external pressure, like when you sneeze or cough. There are two main layers of muscles in your pelvic floor:
Levator Ani
This muscle wraps around the entirety of your pelvis, comprised of the pubococcygeus, puborectalis, and iliococcygeus components. This layer makes up most of your pelvic floor.
Coccygeus
Located towards the back of your pelvic floor, the coccygeus is located more towards the back of your pelvis and helps with the defecation process.
What causes a weak pelvic floor?
There are many causes to having a weakened pelvic floor. Thankfully, we offer treatments for pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI, that can provide relief or even reverse many uncomfortable symptoms.
Pelvic Trauma
Whether it’s from surgery or childbirth, experiencing trauma in your pelvic area can impact how well your pelvic floor functions. Trauma can weaken the muscles in the pelvic floor or cause an imbalance of muscle function that leads to pelvic floor atrophy.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions like diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, and other nerve diseases can cause pelvic floor dysfunction. Also, cancer and cancer treatments can impact the pelvic floor, especially if treatment is in the lower abdominal or pelvic region.
Medications
Medications like antihistamines, narcotics, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, and alpha-blockers can impact your pelvic floor’s ability to contract and relax. Several of these medications can weaken the bladder sphincter, make it harder to recognize the urge to urinate, interfere with bladder contraction, and more.
Aging
Your body produces collagen and elastin, which are primary structural proteins that help keep your muscles, tissues, and organs flexible. As you age, your body naturally decreases the amount of collagen and elastin you create, which weakens muscles like your pelvic floor.
Obesity
Being obese or overweight can also cause your pelvic floor to deteriorate faster than normal. The extra weight adds constant pressure to your pelvic floor, creating additional strain. This weakens the pelvic floor and can result in issues like incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
Genetics
Some people are genetically predispositioned to have their pelvic floor muscles weaken faster than others, or they may simply be born with weak pelvic floor muscles.

How to Tell if You Need Pelvic Floor Therapy
Pelvic floor dysfunction can manifest itself in many different ways, so the best way to determine if you need pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI, is to meet with one of our providers for a consultation. However, there are several common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction:
- Pain in the pelvic region, especially during intercourse
- Unexplained lower back pain
- Reduced vaginal sensation
- Difficulty starting or stopping urination
- Leaking stool
- Difficulty passing a bowel movement
- Painful urination
- Straining during bowel movements
- Feeling as if you can’t completely empty your bowels
- Urinary leaks when you laugh, cough, or jump
Urinary Incontinence
The most common issue that arises when a pelvic floor is weak is urinary dysfunction, or urinary leaks. There are two main types of urinary incontinence:
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence occurs when the bladder leaks urine as a result of sudden pressure, such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, jumping, or lifting. This type of incontinence is most prevalent in women, as it is often caused by trauma to the pelvic floor. Since many women give birth or undergo a c-section, they typically experience a stretching of the pelvic floor. Our treatments for pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI, can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, tightening the area to improve the function of the many organs that rely on support from the pelvic floor.
Urge Incontinence
Urge incontinence, on the other hand, manifests as the immediate and intense urge to urinate, often difficult to control. It is typically caused by an underlying illness rather than weakened pelvic floor muscles, so more men experience this type than women. We typically use a combination of treatments to address urge incontinence, all of which will be personalized to your individual needs. As direct primary care providers with a wealth of expertise and resources, we can treat many of the underlying causes behind urge incontinence to help restore your well-being.

Emsella
Our go-to treatment for pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI, is Emsella. Emsella is a revolutionary piece of technology that uses HIFEM (high-intensity focused electromagnetic) energy to stimulate thousands of contractions within your pelvic floor muscles. This provides an exceptional workout for your pelvic floor, building muscle mass and strength. With multiple sessions, this can help restore pelvic floor function and reverse or improve the symptoms of urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction.
How It Treats Incontinence
Here is how Emsella can treat both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
Stress Incontinence
Emsella can treat stress incontinence by tightening the weak, loose muscles in the pelvic floor. This helps provide the support that organs like your bladder, uterus, and prostate need, minimizing leaks and reducing symptoms of sexual dysfunction.
Urge Incontinence
Like we said earlier, Emsella can’t exactly “cure” urge incontinence, but it can help you find relief from symptoms until you address the medical concern that is causing your incontinence. It does this by providing additional support to your bladder, helping you to “hold it.”
Treatment Details
Treatment Length | Number of Sessions | Downtime | Results Duration |
28 minutes | 6 | None | 4 to 12 months |
The Emsella Process
While the process will be slightly different depending on your needs, here is what you can expect for Emsella pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI.
Consultation
First, you’ll meet with one of our providers for a one-on-one consultation. You’ll talk with them about your concerns, and they’ll ask about your symptoms. Once they have a clear idea of what you are experiencing, they will talk with you about treatment options, including Emsella pelvic floor therapy, and schedule your appointments.
Treatment
The Emsella device itself is shaped like a chair. For every session, you’ll sit on the device, fully clothed, and relax while your pelvic floor experiences a great workout. While you may feel an odd sensation as your pelvic floor muscle flex involuntarily, you will not feel any pain or discomfort.
Results
We typically perform 6 treatments, each spaced 1 week apart. You’ll feel initial results after your first appointment, and will continue to see improvements after each session. Full results develop 1 to 3 months after your final session, delivering greater confidence and comfort for up to a year.
Maintenance
While Emsella results can be long-lasting, they are not permanent. However, you and your provider can create a custom schedule of maintenance treatments that will help ensure you can enjoy your life without worrying about a weak pelvic floor. We also provide tips to help you maintain your results for longer.

Frequently Asked Questions
Our team answers lots of questions about the pelvic floor and Emsella, so here are the most common questions we hear about pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI, and their corresponding answers.
Is Emsella for men and women?
Yes! Emsella can help both men and women strengthen their pelvic floor.
Do I get to stay clothed during treatment?
You do! This treatment uses HIFEM energy to target your pelvic floor, which doesn’t require direct contact with the skin, so you will be able to sit on the Emsella chair fully clothed. However, we ask that you wear light, thinner clothing to allow the HIFEM energy to reach your pelvic floor most effectively.
Can Emsella help with a “too tight” pelvic floor?
It can! The Emsella chair can help with those who have hypertonic pelvic floors. The contractions caused by Emsella are so frequent, they send a looping signal through the spinal cord that essentially resets the message the muscles are receiving. This tells the muscles they can relax. We typically pair this with treatment from a pelvic floor therapist, and sometimes we can use medications to help relax the muscles as well.

Find Your Inner Strength
Your pelvic floor muscles have the ability to be strong once again. You can either use our treatment planning tool or schedule a consultation with one of our providers to determine if Emsella is your best option for pelvic floor therapy in Jamestown, RI.