Electrical stimulation can treat urinary incontinence by delivering controlled signals to the muscles and nerve pathways involved in bladder control. But not every electrical signal has the same effect. The placement of the electrodes, signal frequency, waveform, intensity and timing must all be designed for the particular type of incontinence being treated.
Updated: August 14, 2026
Author: Elitone Medical Staff
Electrical stimulation for incontinence uses carefully controlled electrical signals to activate muscles or influence nerve pathways involved in storing and releasing urine. Depending on the treatment program, the signals may produce pelvic floor contractions, help inhibit unwanted bladder contractions or combine both effects.
The principle is similar to the way the nervous system normally controls the body. Your brain and nerves communicate with muscles through electrical impulses. An appropriately designed stimulation device supplies an external signal that can activate targeted tissues even when a person has difficulty consciously finding, contracting or coordinating those muscles.
Electrical stimulation has been used in pelvic floor rehabilitation for decades. Traditionally, much of this treatment required an inserted vaginal or rectal probe or repeated visits to a clinic. Transcutaneous devices provide stimulation through electrodes placed on the skin, allowing treatment to be delivered without an inserted component.
Urinary continence depends on coordinated activity among the bladder, urethral sphincter, pelvic floor muscles, spinal cord and brain. Electrical stimulation can affect this system in two principal ways:
These mechanisms are different, even though both involve electrical stimulation. A signal intended to contract and condition muscle should not be assumed to have the same effect as a signal intended to calm an overactive bladder.
Electrical-stimulation terminology can be confusing because the terms are sometimes used loosely.
Elitone uses external neuromuscular electrical stimulation designed specifically for urinary incontinence. Its stress-incontinence program includes a muscle-contracting signal, while Elitone Urge uses a lower-frequency program intended to influence the pathways associated with bladder urgency.
A general-purpose TENS or EMS unit should not automatically be used for bladder leakage. The waveform, output, electrode design and placement need to be appropriate for the intended tissue and medical condition. In addition, a device cleared for pain relief or general muscle conditioning is not necessarily FDA-cleared to treat urinary incontinence.
Electrical current travels between conductive electrode regions. Their location, size and spacing help determine which tissues lie within the current path. Therefore, placing ordinary electrodes somewhere near the pelvis does not necessarily target the muscles and nerves involved in continence.
Elitone uses a flexible GelPad placed externally against the perineal area, where a conventional bladder-leak pad would ordinarily be worn. Four conductive hydrogel regions are positioned to direct stimulation through the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding tissues. The GelPad’s shape helps make that placement repeatable from one treatment session to the next.
The conductive hydrogel also performs two important functions: it holds the electrode against the skin and creates a low-impedance connection through which the stimulation can be delivered. Distributing the current across multiple conductive regions helps provide more even stimulation than would be expected from very small, concentrated electrodes.
The skin and tissue between a surface electrode and the pelvic floor create electrical resistance, also called impedance. An external device must deliver enough energy to reach and activate the targeted tissues while keeping the sensation at the skin comfortable.
Elitone addresses this with a symmetric, amplitude-modulated waveform. Its therapeutic signal is amplitude-modulated using a 2,000 Hz carrier wave. This approach is described as a pre-modulated waveform, or PMW, because the carrier and treatment signal are combined within the device before the signal reaches the electrodes.
The carrier does not change the purpose of the therapeutic frequency. Instead, it provides a method of delivering the programmed signal transcutaneously. The user adjusts the output through 35 intensity levels to reach a strong but comfortable treatment level.
The waveform is symmetric, meaning that its positive and negative phases are balanced. A balanced waveform helps limit net direct-current buildup at the skin-electrode interface, an important consideration for comfort during repeated treatments.
Several electrical characteristics influence how a stimulation program behaves:
Two devices can both be described as “electrical stimulators” while delivering substantially different treatments. Frequency alone also does not describe the complete signal. The waveform, amplitude, phase duration, treatment timing and anatomic placement must be considered together.
Stress and urge incontinence involve different bladder-control problems, so Elitone and Elitone Urge use different stimulation programs.
| Technology feature | Elitone | Elitone Urge |
|---|---|---|
| Primary treatment objective | Activate and condition the pelvic floor muscles while also providing a brief calming signal | Influence bladder-control pathways and help calm involuntary bladder activity |
| Therapeutic frequencies | 50 Hz muscle-contracting signal followed by a 10 Hz calming signal | 10 Hz calming signal |
| Stimulation cycle | 4 seconds at 50 Hz, 2 seconds at 10 Hz and 6 seconds of rest | 6 seconds at 10 Hz followed by 6 seconds of rest |
| Typical sensation | Rhythmic pelvic floor contractions with periods of rest | Tingling or pulsing without the same strong repeated contractions |
| Session length | 20 minutes | 20 minutes |
| External placement | Perineal GelPad | Perineal GelPad |
During a 20-minute Elitone session, the 12-second cycle repeats 100 times. This produces 100 pelvic floor contraction and rest cycles—doing Kegels for you longer and stronger. The rest interval is important because a continuous contraction would promote fatigue rather than repeated muscle training.
Elitone Urge does not attempt to produce the same pelvic floor workout. Its lower-frequency signal is designed for the different objective of reducing urgency-related bladder activity.
Electrical neuromodulation is already used to treat overactive bladder through sacral nerve stimulation and tibial nerve stimulation. Although these treatments deliver stimulation at different anatomical locations, they are intended to influence the nerve pathways that regulate bladder storage and urgency.
Elitone Urge delivers a 10 Hz signal through an external perineal GelPad. This is within the same general low-frequency range used by established bladder neuromodulation treatments. Sacral neuromodulation commonly uses frequencies around 10-14 Hz, while percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation commonly uses approximately 10-20 Hz. These similarities support the rationale that Elitone Urge works through neuromodulation rather than through repeated pelvic floor strengthening.
The treatments are not equivalent, however. They access the bladder-control system in different ways:
| Treatment | Stimulation location | Common frequency | How treatment is delivered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elitone Urge | External perineal area | 10 Hz | Wearable GelPad placed on the skin |
| Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) | Tibial nerve near the ankle | Approximately 10-20 Hz | Needle electrode used during repeated office treatments |
| Sacral neuromodulation | Sacral nerve, typically near S3 | Commonly around 10-14 Hz | Surgically implanted lead and pulse generator |
The tibial, pudendal and sacral nerve pathways ultimately connect with the spinal circuits involved in bladder control. Stimulation at any one of these locations may influence those circuits and help inhibit involuntary bladder activity. However, similar treatment frequencies do not prove that the devices produce identical physiological effects or clinical outcomes.
Elitone Urge’s distinction is that it provides non-invasive neuromodulation at home without an implanted device, ankle needle or repeated office procedure.
Elitone is classified by the FDA as a transcutaneous electrical continence device. “Transcutaneous” means that the signal is delivered through the skin. No vaginal or rectal probe is inserted.
The treatment system consists of a rechargeable controller and a flexible GelPad with four conductive regions. The controller automatically delivers the programmed waveform and treatment cycle, so the user does not need to select frequencies, calculate treatment timing or manually contract the pelvic floor.
Each treatment lasts 20 minutes. Because the thin GelPad is worn externally and the controller is portable, treatment can be completed while dressed and moving around during ordinary activities.
Elitone, Elitone Urge and Elitone for Men share an external treatment approach, but they are not interchangeable. Each device has a specific program and FDA-cleared intended use. Users should select the product that matches their type and cause of leakage.
Traditional pelvic floor electrical stimulation is often delivered through a vaginal or rectal probe positioned close to the pelvic floor muscles. This can provide direct stimulation but requires insertion and is ordinarily performed while the user is sitting or lying down.
External transcutaneous stimulation delivers the signal through electrodes placed on the skin. Its potential advantages include:
External and internal stimulation should not be evaluated solely by the location of the electrode. Effectiveness also depends on whether the current reaches the intended tissues, the treatment waveform is appropriate, the device is used consistently and the person’s symptoms match the device’s intended use.
At lower settings, electrical stimulation may feel like tingling, tapping or a soft rhythmic pulsing. As the intensity of Elitone is increased, the user should feel the pelvic floor muscles contract and release. Elitone Urge generally produces a milder pulsing sensation without the same repeated muscle contractions.
The objective is to reach a strong but comfortable setting. Treatment should not be painful. Sensation can vary with placement, skin condition, body position and GelPad contact. If stimulation feels sharp, uneven or uncomfortable, the user should pause treatment, check the GelPad placement and follow the instructions for use before continuing.
Electrical stimulation has been studied as a conservative treatment for urinary incontinence using internal probes, external electrodes and other neuromodulation approaches. However, findings from one device or electrode location should not automatically be applied to every other electrical-stimulation product.
Elitone has been evaluated specifically as an external, perineal neuromuscular stimulation device. Clinical studies have used leak diaries, pad-weight testing, pad use, validated quality-of-life measures and ultrasound visualization of pelvic floor movement.
In a six-week study of women with stress urinary incontinence, 95% of participants reported fewer leaks and average leakage decreased by 71%. Ultrasound evaluation has also provided objective evidence that Elitone produces pelvic floor contraction, including in a participant who was unable to produce an effective voluntary Kegel contraction.
Elitone Urge was studied separately in women with urge urinary incontinence. Because its patient population and stimulation program differ, those results should be evaluated independently from studies of the stress-incontinence device.
For study descriptions and additional clinical findings, visit The Science Behind Elitone. Individual results vary.
Electrical stimulation should match the type of bladder-control problem being treated:
If you are uncertain which symptoms you have, review the different types of urinary incontinence or consult a healthcare professional before selecting a device.
Electrical stimulation is not simply one universal technology. Effective treatment requires the right electrode placement, waveform, frequency, intensity, duty cycle and medical indication. Elitone brings these elements together in an external, wearable system designed specifically for urinary incontinence treatment.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation can activate the motor nerves that control the pelvic floor, producing a contraction without requiring the user to perform a voluntary Kegel. Elitone’s pelvic floor contraction has also been visualized using ultrasound.
Not exactly. A voluntary Kegel begins with a signal from the brain, while NMES supplies an external signal that activates the neuromuscular system. Both can produce pelvic floor contractions, but electrical stimulation can be helpful when someone cannot identify, coordinate or consistently exercise the correct muscles.
No. TENS commonly refers to transcutaneous stimulation used for pain relief. Elitone is an FDA-cleared transcutaneous electrical continence device that delivers neuromuscular stimulation specifically designed for urinary incontinence.
An ordinary stimulator may not have the appropriate waveform, output limits, electrodes, placement instructions or FDA-cleared indication for treating urinary incontinence. Do not place general-purpose electrodes on the genital or perineal area unless the device is specifically designed and labeled for that use.
Elitone’s therapeutic frequencies are amplitude-modulated using a 2,000 Hz carrier as part of its pre-modulated waveform. This provides a method of delivering the programmed treatment signal through the skin to the targeted pelvic floor tissues.
No. The 2,000 Hz value describes the carrier used in delivering the signal. The 50 Hz and 10 Hz values describe the therapeutic modulation used for the muscle-contracting and calming portions of the treatment cycle.
Elitone alternates stimulation with rest so the pelvic floor can relax between contractions. This helps limit fatigue and allows the 12-second treatment cycle to repeat 100 times during a 20-minute session.
Urge incontinence is associated with involuntary bladder activity rather than simply insufficient pelvic floor support. Elitone Urge therefore uses a 10 Hz program intended to calm the bladder-control pathways instead of repeatedly contracting the pelvic floor.
Yes. Elitone is FDA-cleared to treat stress urinary incontinence in women. Elitone Urge has a separate clearance for urge urinary incontinence, and Elitone for Men is cleared to aid early continence recovery immediately following prostate surgery. Read more about what Elitone’s FDA clearance means.
Receive educational resources, exclusive offers, and new product information.
