What Is the Deka Magnetic Chair?
The Deka Magnetic Chair is a state-of-the-art medical device that harnesses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology to strengthen the pelvic floor musculature from the outside — without any internal probes, injections, or surgical procedures. You simply sit fully clothed on the specially designed chair while focused electromagnetic pulses penetrate through your clothing and tissue to directly stimulate the deep pelvic floor motor neurons.
The result is contraction of the levator ani and surrounding pelvic floor muscles. During a single 28-minute session, the device stimulates repeated contractions of these muscles.
Unlike standard neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), HIFEM technology stimulates both fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibres, producing comprehensive neuromuscular adaptation. Muscle fibres grow, neural recruitment pathways improve, and the structural support of the pelvic floor is progressively restored over the treatment course.
Who Is the Deka Magnetic Chair For?
The Deka Magnetic Chair is appropriate for a wide range of women who experience symptoms related to pelvic floor weakness or dysfunction. At THE FIT CLINIC Bangkok, our specialists use it as a primary or adjunct treatment for the following conditions:
- Stress urinary incontinence (SUI): Involuntary urine leakage triggered by coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping, or physical exertion — caused by insufficient urethral closure pressure from weakened pelvic floor muscles.
- Urge urinary incontinence / Overactive bladder (OAB): A sudden, compelling urge to urinate that is difficult to defer, often with involuntary leakage. HIFEM treatment helps retrain the detrusor muscle and improves neuromuscular coordination.
- Mixed urinary incontinence: A combination of stress and urge incontinence symptoms, which is the most common presentation in women over 40.
- Post-partum pelvic floor weakness: Reduced tone, strength, and endurance of the pelvic floor following vaginal or caesarean delivery, leading to leakage, laxity, or reduced sensation.
- Pelvic organ prolapse prevention: Women at elevated risk or in early stages of prolapse who wish to strengthen the pelvic floor as a conservative management strategy.
- Pelvic floor rehabilitation: Preparation before or recovery after gynaecological surgery, or as an adjunct to physiotherapy-based pelvic floor programmes.
The treatment is non-invasive, requires no undressing, and is performed fully clothed — making it accessible for patients who may be uncomfortable with internal examinations or device insertion.
What to Expect: Assessment, Sessions & Results
Your Deka Magnetic Chair journey at THE FIT CLINIC begins with a specialist consultation — with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Orawee Chinthakanan, Dr. Athasit Kijimanawat, or Dr. Apichaya Klaikaew — to assess your symptoms, conduct a urogynecological evaluation, and determine whether the Magnetic Chair is the right treatment for your specific presentation.
How many sessions, and how far apart, is decided after assessment. Spacing matters because the muscle needs recovery time between sessions for any adaptation to occur, which is why these are not booked back to back. Each session lasts 28 minutes. You simply sit on the chair, fully clothed, while the device operates automatically.
How soon anyone notices a change in urgency, frequency or leakage varies between individuals, and some notice none. Any strengthening effect continues to develop for a while after the last session as muscle remodelling completes, rather than stopping when the course does. Patients with moderate-to-severe incontinence may be recommended a second course or monthly maintenance sessions to sustain results over time.
There is no discomfort after treatment, no downtime, and no restrictions on daily activity. The pulsing electromagnetic sensation during the session is manageable for almost all patients and can be adjusted to your comfort level by our clinical team.
Who the Magnetic Chair Does Not Suit — and What the Assessment Decides
The chair is not the starting point. Correctly taught pelvic floor training is, and the Magnetic Chair is used alongside it, not instead of it. Sitting on a chair does not teach you to find and use those muscles yourself, and that skill is what keeps the benefit after the course ends. If you have never had your pelvic floor contraction checked by a clinician, that check comes before any decision about the chair.
There are women for whom it is the wrong treatment, which is why the assessment is not a formality:
- An overactive or painful pelvic floor. Leaking, urgency and pelvic pain can all come from muscles that are too tight rather than too weak. Stimulating those muscles harder makes the problem worse. The examination tells the two apart in a few minutes.
- Prolapse as the main problem. Strengthening the floor can help mild symptoms, but the chair does not lift a prolapsed organ back into place. If heaviness or a bulge is what brought you in, that is assessed and treated as prolapse first.
- Leaking that is not a weak-floor problem. Overflow from a bladder that does not empty, a urinary infection, or leaking caused by a medication all need a different answer. A urine test and a bladder-emptying check are part of the first visit for this reason.
- Pregnancy, and the first weeks after delivery. The chair is not used in pregnancy. After childbirth, the pelvic floor is checked from six weeks and the timing of any device treatment is decided from what that check finds.
- Metal or electronic implants in or near the pelvis — a hip replacement, surgical plates or screws, a pacemaker or other implanted device — and a copper IUD, which is discussed individually. Electromagnetic stimulation is not given over these.
- Recent pelvic surgery, an active infection, or a pelvic malignancy under treatment. These are deferred or excluded, depending on the case.
None of this is a reason not to book. It is the reason the first appointment is an assessment rather than a session: the doctor examines the pelvic floor, checks the bladder, and tells you whether the chair is likely to help you, whether training alone is the better route, or whether the symptom needs a different treatment altogether. If the answer is no, you will be told no.
Deka Magnetic Chair vs. Kegel Exercises: Understanding the Difference
Kegel exercises are the traditional first-line recommendation for pelvic floor strengthening. When performed correctly and consistently, they can be beneficial — but they have fundamental limitations that the Deka Magnetic Chair overcomes:
| Kegel Exercises | Deka Magnetic Chair |
|---|---|
| Require correct technique (up to 30% of women cannot isolate pelvic floor muscles correctly without guidance) | Electromagnetic stimulation bypasses technique errors — directly activates motor neurons |
| Voluntary contractions recruit approximately 40–60% of muscle fibres | Supramaximal contractions recruit close to 100% of pelvic floor fibres |
| Require months of consistent daily practice to see results | Contractions are produced by the device rather than by voluntary effort |
| Difficult to maintain motivation and adherence long-term | Clinic-based, supervised, 28 minutes twice a week |
| Limited benefit if baseline muscle weakness is severe | Effective even in patients with significant baseline muscle atrophy |
Book Your Pelvic Floor Assessment
Speak with a specialist at THE FIT CLINIC Bangkok. Open daily 10:00–19:00 at 8th Floor, EM Tower EMSPHERE, Sukhumvit Road.
Book via LINEFrequently Asked Questions
What is the Deka Magnetic Chair and how does it work?
The Deka Magnetic Chair is a non-invasive pelvic floor strengthening device that uses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology. You sit fully clothed on the chair, and focused electromagnetic pulses penetrate through clothing and tissue to stimulate pelvic floor muscle contractions — deeper than can usually be achieved through voluntary exercise alone. Each session lasts 28 minutes.
How many sessions of the Deka Magnetic Chair are needed?
How many sessions, and how often, is decided after assessment rather than set as a standard course. Any change builds gradually rather than appearing at once, and how much, and how soon, differs from person to person. A maintenance programme of 1–2 sessions per month may be advised for ongoing urinary incontinence management.
Is the Deka Magnetic Chair treatment painful?
The treatment is not painful. Patients typically describe the sensation as an intense muscle contraction or a pulsing feeling in the pelvic floor — similar in sensation to doing very intense Kegel exercises but without any physical effort. Intensity can be adjusted to the patient's comfort level, especially during early sessions as the muscles adapt to the stimulation.
Does the Deka Magnetic Chair help with urinary incontinence?
Yes. The Deka Magnetic Chair is used in the management of both stress urinary incontinence (leakage with coughing, sneezing, or exercise) and urge urinary incontinence (overactive bladder). By strengthening the pelvic floor musculature and improving neuromuscular coordination, patients typically experience reduced leakage episodes, stronger urethral closure pressure, and improved bladder control.
What is the difference between the Deka Magnetic Chair and Kegel exercises?
Kegel exercises rely on voluntary contraction of the pelvic floor muscles and require consistent daily practice, correct technique, and sufficient baseline muscle strength to be effective. The Deka Magnetic Chair bypasses all of these limitations: electromagnetic stimulation directly activates the deep pelvic floor motor neurons, producing contractions that are difficult to achieve with voluntary effort. One session lasts 28 minutes.
Who is the Magnetic Chair not suitable for?
It is not used in pregnancy, over metal or electronic implants in or near the pelvis (hip replacement, surgical plates, pacemaker), during an active pelvic infection, or soon after pelvic surgery. It is also the wrong treatment when the pelvic floor is too tight rather than too weak, when prolapse is the main problem, or when leaking comes from a bladder that does not empty. The first visit is an assessment that checks for each of these before any session is booked, and the chair is used alongside taught pelvic floor training rather than instead of it.