Biofeedback uses electrical devices to monitor a patient's progress in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder, urethra, bowel, and in women, the vagina and uterus. A probe is inserted into the vagina or rectum while the patient performs Kegel exercises - contraction and relaxation exercises of the pelvic floor muscles. A patch on the patient's abdomen contains electrodes to monitor the degree of relaxation of the abdomen. Meanwhile, a monitor with a graph from 0 to 100 shows the strength of the pelvic contractions and of abdominal relaxation. Unfortunately, they are often done incorrectly.
Some people never locate the correct muscles, and some exercise the wrong muscles.
The most common mistake is to contract the abdomen. Patients undergoing biofeedback with electrical stimulation typically visit The Continence Center once a week, for 45 minutes a visit, for six weeks. The amount of pad usage and wetness has been remarkably reduced, and episodes of urgency and frequency of urination have dropped dramatically. M.D. This past summer, Dr. Boyd Winslow joined the staff of The Virginia Urology Center. For the previous 14 years, he had practiced Pediatric Urology in Norfolk, and served as Professor of Urology at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, and as Surgical Director for Pediatric Urology at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.