Could a chair cure your bladder troubles?

NCT ID NCT04873037

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 10, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether a chair that uses electromagnetic pulses to strengthen pelvic floor muscles can help people with overactive bladder. About 166 adults who have not gotten relief from lifestyle changes or medications will sit in the chair twice a week for four weeks. Half will get the real treatment, half a sham, to see if it truly reduces urinary urgency and frequency.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
BTL Emsella Chair (high-intensity focused electromagnetic device)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a non-drug, non-surgical option to reduce urinary urgency and frequency for people with overactive bladder.
What could go wrong
This is an early study with no prior data on this device for overactive bladder. The sham comparison may show no real benefit, and results may not apply to all patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 166 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Nov 2021

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Able to read, understand, and provide written, dated, informed consent prior to screening, and be likely to comply with study protocol, including independently complete study questionnaires and communicate with study personnel about AEs and other clinically important information. 2. Women and men ≥ 18 years of age 3. Self-reported bladder symptoms present ≥ 3 months 4. Self-reported failed conservative care of behavioral modifications and/or oral medications 5. On a stable dose of antimuscarinics/beta-3 agonists for ≥ 4 weeks, and willing to remain on the medication for the duration of the study OR discontinued antimuscarinics/beta-3 agonists for ≥ 2 weeks 6. Ambulatory and able to use a toilet independently, without difficulty 7. Subject agrees not to start any new treatment for OAB (medication or otherwise) during the treatment and follow-up periods. For Females Only: 8. If of child-bearing age and female, agree to practice approved birth-control methods (oral contraceptives, condom barrier, injection, diaphragm or cervical cap, vaginal contraceptive ring, IUD, implantable contraceptive, surgical sterilization (bilateral tubal ligation), vasectomized partner(s)) Exclusion Criteria: 1. Botox® use in bladder or pelvic floor muscles in the past year 2. Subject weighs greater than 330 pounds 3. Pulmonary insufficiency, defined as difficulty breathing and fatigue, especially during exercise; chest pain, such as squeezing, pressure of tightness; the sensation of rapid or irregular heartbeat (palpitations); swelling of the legs or feet; dizziness or fainting; and/or bluish discoloration of the nails and/or lips (cyanosis) 4. Any condition that causes a lack of normal skin sensation to the pelvis, buttocks, and thighs, at the discretion of the investigator. 5. Major metal implants such as: metal plates, screws, joint replacements, implanted cardiac pacemakers, drug pumps, neurostimulators, electronic implants, copper intrauterine devices, defibrillators, and metal implants in the pelvic area. Patients with other metal implants will be evaluated by the investigator for inclusion in the study. 6. Subject has a piercing between the waist and knees and is not willing to remove it before each treatment 7. Active urethral diverticula 8. Known vesicoureteral reflux 9. Currently healing from surgical procedures where muscle contraction may disrupt the healing process 10. Subject is currently receiving treatment for a malignant tumor that would interfere with study participation. Skin cancers are permitted. 11. Subject has used the BTL EMSELLA device previously 12. Subject has urinary incontinence of neurogenic etiology, such as multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, Parkinson's, spinal cord injury, diabetic neuropathy, neurogenic bladder etc. 13. Current urinary tract infection. If a subject has a confirmed symptomatic UTI at screening, per investigator's clinical judgment, they will be deferred from screening until treatment is completed, and may resume once symptoms have resolved 14. Current use of neuromodulation therapy, including interstim and PTNS, for bladder symptoms within 3 months of screening visit (if past sacral/pudendal implant, must be explanted) 15. Currently participating in an investigational study that may impact study results or previously received an investigational drug or treatment within 30 days of the Screening Visit 16. Current or history of any physical condition that, in the investigator's opinion, might put the subject at risk or interfere with study results interpretation For Females Only: 17. Pregnant, or planning to become pregnant, at screening or anytime throughout the study period * Note: For the sake of preserving scientific integrity, one or more of the eligibility criteria have been left off the list posted while the trial is ongoing. A full list of eligibility criteria will be posted upon completion of the trial.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Royal Oak, Michigan, 48073, United States

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