kGoal Boost
Hi male besties, this one is for you! Today, we’re talking about the KGoal Boost device, a product designed to help men with pelvic floor exercise. As a reminder, I don’t write these blog posts with the goal of selling you any products or influencing you to buy anything. I write these to inform you of the options that exist so that you can make informed choices about your health. It is important to always speak with your medical provider about your health-related goals and/or concerns. On that note, let’s jump in!
What is the kGoal Boost device?
The kGoal Boost is a biofeedback system that combines a non-wearable device with a smartphone app to deliver a pelvic floor muscle training program (1). We’ve talked about biofeedback previously, but let’s review. Biofeedback is a learning process in which an external source of feedback is used to amplify or mirror the patient’s activity so that the patient can experience that activity in a visual, verbal, or auditory manner (2).
An example of simple biofeedback is watching yourself in the mirror. When you go to the gym, it can be nice to watch yourself doing bicep curls or other exercises in the mirror because you can visually see how you are performing the exercise and make any adjustments to your form. The mirror is an external source of feedback providing a visual of the activity.
The kGoal Boost device connects to a smartphone app to provide visual feedback on pelvic floor muscle activity in the form of interactive games. Their website claims that this is the first device to offer “downtraining,” or the relaxing and lengthening of the pelvic floor muscles. This makes it potentially beneficial for a wide range of pelvic floor dysfunctions including urinary/fecal incontinence, erectile dysfunction, pelvic pain, constipation, urinary frequency, and more. It’s also noninvasive and activities can be completed while you are fully clothed.
What are my thoughts on the kGoal Boost?
I have a lot to say about this device (and if I didn’t, would I be writing a blog about it?!). First of all, I don’t find it to be the first of its kind or particularly groundbreaking. It’s a surface electromyographic (sEMG) biofeedback device, and there are a ton of these on the market, some of which I’ve mentioned previously, and some of which I’m sure I’ll talk more about in the future.
Research shows that biofeedback, especially sEMG biofeedback, can be helpful in improving urinary incontinence and quality of life in the appropriate male populations (3). It can be a solid component of a well-rounded treatment plan and is backed by research. Further, there is ample research that supports the use of pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) for improving urinary incontinence (particularly stress urinary incontinence) (4). It also seems easy to use. Users can utilize the program completely clothed and it’s a noninvasive device. I imagine this appealing to a broad range of potential users.
My main critique of this device is that it is specifically marketed and “designed for” men. I don’t understand how this can be the case or why it wouldn’t work equally well for women. The company developed a similar product for females, but it requires insertion of the device into the vaginal canal in order for the device to record the pelvic floor muscle activity. If the kGoal Boost device can record and transmit male pelvic floor activity while the user is completely clothed, I see no reason it wouldn’t be able to do the same for female users. While it can be beneficial, biofeedback using a vaginally inserted sensor is unnecessary. In fact, studies show that biofeedback from the use of perineal sensors is just as beneficial as biofeedback using intravaginal sensors (5). My hope is further research can determine the efficacy of this product for anyone, regardless of sex.
Lastly, I couldn’t find any research that specifically looked at the efficacy of this product. That makes it difficult to compare how well this product works with other similar products on the market. In general, though, these types of products offer safe and comfortable methods of becoming actively involved in your pelvic floor rehabilitation (6).
Do you need the kGoal Boost device to treat your pelvic floor dysfunction?
In my opinion, you don’t need this device to help improve your pelvic floor dysfunction. That goes for literally every device on the market–you don’t need a device to work on “uptraining” or “downtraining” your pelvic floor muscles. However, if you are someone who struggles to motivate yourself to complete your home exercise program and you want something a bit more fun, this could be a solution for you. The device connects to an app on your phone which takes you through games and activities while exercising your pelvic floor. If this sounds like a lot of fun, that’s awesome! Talk with your pelvic health provider about whether they think your particular type of pelvic floor dysfunction would benefit from this device. The kGoal is unique in that it can be helpful for both strengthening and “downtraining” the pelvic floor muscles, so check with your provider about which program would be best for you (shoutout to the kGoal Boost website for recommending you consult with your pelvic health provider about your specific needs! This is a green flag in my book!).
Something I think is so magical about kegels is that you can do them anytime, anywhere! You can literally sit at your desk at work and do your kegel exercises (strengthening, relaxing or both!) and no one would know! You can lie in bed at the end of the night and do them there or you can stand on the metro on the way home from the office and do them there, as well. They are one of the only exercises you can incorporate into your life easily and indiscreetly. Because of this, the use of a device that requires you to set specific time aside to complete your PFMT feels somewhat unnecessary and overly complicated to me. However, I’ve had friends and patients that would thrive with this kind of device because it is more interactive and fun than traditional kegels.
As with all biofeedback, it’s rarely required for ensuring adequate performance of an activity. Think of it this way: if you can do a workout at the gym without a mirror, you can probably exercise your pelvic floor muscles without a biofeedback device. The mirror might help, but it isn’t a requirement.
Have you tried the kGoal Boost device? I’d love to hear about your experience! Even better, if you’re a female who has tried out this “male PFMT device” I’d love to hear your take on it.
XOXO,
Your Pelvic Bestie
References:
https://www.kgoal.com/products/kgoal-boost-kegel-trainer-for-men
Lee HN, Lee SY, Lee YS, Han JY, Choo MS, Lee KS. Pelvic floor muscle training using an extracorporeal biofeedback device for female stress urinary incontinence. Int Urogynecol J. 2013 May;24(5):831-8. doi: 10.1007/s00192-012-1943-4. Epub 2012 Sep 28. PMID: 23052631.
Fernández-Cuadros ME, Nieto-Blasco J, Geanini-Yagüez A, Ciprián-Nieto D, Padilla-Fernández B, Lorenzo-Gómez MF. Male Urinary Incontinence: Associated Risk Factors and Electromyography Biofeedback Results in Quality of Life. Am J Mens Health. 2016 Nov;10(6):NP127-NP135. doi: 10.1177/1557988315590653. Epub 2015 Jun 30. PMID: 26130728.
Curillo-Aguirre CA, Gea-Izquierdo E. Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training on Quality of Life in Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023 May 23;59(6):1004. doi: 10.3390/medicina59061004. PMID: 37374208; PMCID: PMC10301414.
Özlü A, Yıldız N, Öztekin Ö. Comparison of the efficacy of perineal and intravaginal biofeedback assisted pelvic floor muscle exercises in women with urodynamic stress urinary incontinence. Neurourol Urodyn. 2017 Nov;36(8):2132-2141. doi: 10.1002/nau.23257. Epub 2017 Mar 27. PMID: 28345778.
Tank, Krupa; Pithwa, Urvi; Rathod, Priyanshu. Non-Invasive Biofeedback Devices for Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation: A Comprehensive Review of Applications and Outcomes. Journal of Society of Indian Physiotherapists 9(1):p 17-23, January-June 2025. | DOI: 10.4103/jsip.jsip_171_24
*The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives
