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SmartWand: Validating a Novel Device for Remote Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy.
Aneri Kothari1, Jose Bohorquez2, Devin Hubbard3
1University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Research Square
|June 12, 2026
Summary
A new SmartWand device allows women with high-tone pelvic floor dysfunction (HTPFD) to perform myofascial release at home. This technology provides accurate, therapist-guided treatment, improving access to care for HTPFD.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pelvic Health
- Rehabilitation Technology
Background:
- High-tone pelvic floor dysfunction (HTPFD) is a common cause of chronic pelvic pain, often undertreated due to limited access to specialized physical therapy.
- Current telehealth and biofeedback tools lack the precision needed for targeted myofascial trigger point treatment in HTPFD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the SmartWand, a novel intravaginal device for precise, home-based myofascial release in HTPFD management.
- To assess the reliability of the SmartWand in quantifying insertion depth, rotational orientation, and applied force for HTPFD treatment.
Main Methods:
- Development of a Bluetooth-enabled intravaginal SmartWand device and paired smartphone application for real-time guidance.
- A two-phase workflow involving therapist programming of trigger points and independent patient reproduction with multimodal feedback.
- Prospective validation study with 20 women (10 HTPFD, 10 controls) assessing inter-rater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).
Main Results:
- The SmartWand demonstrated excellent reliability for insertion depth (ICC 0.98) and rotational orientation (ICC 0.999).
- Good reliability was achieved for applied force (ICC 0.877), surpassing the success threshold of 0.65.
- Measurement reproducibility was consistent across HTPFD patients and healthy controls, indicating device efficacy in the target population.
Conclusions:
- The SmartWand enables patients to independently perform accurate, technique-specific myofascial release for HTPFD, previously requiring direct therapist supervision.
- This technology offers a significant advancement over existing tools, potentially expanding access to effective pelvic floor physical therapy for millions.
- The SmartWand system supports standardized dosing and monitoring, paving the way for hybrid telehealth models in pelvic floor rehabilitation.
