Biofeedback Therapy: Uses and Benefits

Biofeedback is generally thought of as a safe procedure, but you should always talk to your physician or therapist about your options before you begin. Biofeedback is not necessarily right for everyone and other approaches might work better for your unique situation. A person with apraxia of speech finds it hard to say what they want to say correctly and consistently due to an issue with the brain. Send a note of thanks to Mayo Clinic researchers who are revolutionizing healthcare and improving patient outcomes.

During the treatment

Biofeedback therapy can help you create a mind-body connection so you can control heart rate, breathing, perspiration, and other involuntary actions in your body. EMG is one of the most effective methods for reducing muscle tension. It has been shown to reduce muscle tension in over 40% of participants in a study on electromyography biofeedback therapy and the masseter and temporal muscles. Bio-neurofeedback therapies are safe, do not produce side effects, and offer many physical and mental health benefits, including managing specific conditions. It is important to notice that while relaxation is a part of coherence, relaxation, and coherence are not the same.

Biofeedback

• Keep in mind that mindfulness mediation is a practice, and therefore it is not meant to be perfect.
• A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services.
• The goal of biofeedback is to learn to use these methods at home on your own without a machine or sensors.
• Biofeedback training can also be used as one part of a treatment approach.
• However, significant benefits did not remain at a 10-week follow up.

One example of biofeedback is for urinary incontinence and bedwetting (enuresis) in children. A provider places an electrode (sensor) near your child’s anus and on their leg (with consent). A pelvic floor expert then teaches your child pelvic floor exercises. For example, your child plays as a character and has to contract their pelvic floor muscles to avoid obstacles in the game. This can help improve pelvic floor strength and decrease urinary incontinence.

What is Biofeedback Therapy? What is it used to treat?

To find a healthcare professional who engages in biofeedback, it is a good idea to have a chat with your healthcare provider. If you have a problem that is persistent and limits your normal activity, then ask your healthcare provider if biofeedback therapy may be an option for you. There are various techniques that you can use during biofeedback training—some you can do on your own. Be sure to check in with your healthcare provider before engaging in any biofeedback training to ensure you are doing it properly. Galvanic skin response (GSR) training is done to control the amount of sweat gland activity that occurs in your body. Small sensors that measure your skin’s electrical activity are used during GSR training.

• A 2021 review of previous research notes that several studies have found heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback may help lower blood pressure.
• There are various techniques that you can use during biofeedback training—some you can do on your own.
• Breathing techniques can slow your respiration rate, leading to a sense of calm in the body.
• This feedback allows you to attempt to control your heart rate during specific situations.
• Unlike drugs used to treat incontinence, biofeedback doesn’t tend to cause side effects.

How Biofeedback Works

Biofeedback helps you make slight changes in your body, such as relaxing muscles, to help relieve pain or reduce tension. You may be able to decrease your heart rate and breathing, which can make you feel better. Biofeedback can give you the skills to practice new ways to control your body. This can improve a health problem or help make daily activities easier. It can be used as a non-medication treatment for many different medical conditions.

Healthcare providers don’t use biofeedback as a standalone treatment for most conditions. Biofeedback therapy is considered a safe treatment approach for health conditions. Electromyography biofeedback (also called muscle contraction feedback) uses electrodes, or electrical conductors, to measure muscle activation. The electrodes are connected to a machine that gives feedback to the user via a visual or auditory signal, allowing the user to attempt to decrease or increase muscle activity. This form of therapy helps you gain control of your breathing during situations that may cause increased tension or anxiety. This type of process may help with hypertension and certain respiratory issues as well.

With education and practice, you can learn to make those bodily changes without equipment. Biofeedback therapy is a method that you can use to gain control over involuntary processes in your body. It is often used for pain control or relaxation, but you can use biofeedback to treat a host of conditions. But there are many other functions that occur in your body that seemingly happen beyond conscious thought. Your nervous system is constantly controlling your heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety levels, and pain responses.

Slower breathing rates—those less than six breaths per minute—may be beneficial in lowering blood pressure. By practicing with Resparate for 15 minutes, three to four days a week, you may be able to achieve some improvement in your high blood pressure. As your neurological system changes during therapy, the sensors detect this change, and you slowly gain control of your brain activity. Getting control of these involuntary stress response reactions is one of the main goals of biofeedback therapy. During therapy, your therapist will attach sensors or electrodes to parts of your body or, for neurofeedback, areas of your scalp that represent brain regions.

The more strongly people are aroused, the stronger their skin conductance will be. The presentation of this information—often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior—supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without the continued use of an instrument. A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, for Health Content Provider (). URAC’s accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability.

Before You Buy a Biofeedback Device

Your healthcare provider can provide more Biofeedback Therapy insight into the frequency of sessions that’s best for you. Some consider biofeedback a type of training, rather than a treatment. You’ll need to participate actively and practice between appointments.

A 2021 review of previous research notes that several studies have found heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback may help lower blood pressure. The researchers noted significant changes in muscle tension in the participants trying biofeedback and a reduction in the effects of their symptoms. Don’t delay seeing a medical healthcare provider for a health issue, even if biofeedback helps you manage your condition. And keep taking your prescribed medications, no matter how helpful biofeedback is.

Biofeedback lets you become more aware of your body’s responses when you’re stressed and anxious. However, some trials found a specific type of biofeedback, known as contingent electrical stimulation (CES), did reduce muscle movements in the jaw after 5 days of treatment. However, because wearable devices are portable, people can use them more regularly. Wearables may benefit people who have a difficult time getting to appointments or feel embarrassed about their condition. Biofeedback is generally safe, but it might not be right for everyone. Biofeedback machines might not work on people with some medical problems, such as heartbeat issues or some skin diseases.

The goal of mindfulness mediation isn’t to stop your thoughts, but to encounter them and allow them to be. As you breathe through your thoughts, focus on the physical feelings in your body, and then allow them to be. During respiratory biofeedback, your rate of breathing is monitored.