When people hear the word Biofeedback they often do not know what it is. The word Bio means body, which translates as body feedback. The buzzwords often associated with Biofeedback are Trauma, Anxiety, Pain Management, Injury Recovery, Mind Body Connection, Self Regulation and Relaxation Response.
Did you know that the US Olympic Team is required to do Biofeedback as part of their training regime? These athletes understand the power of the mind-body connection and use it to their advantage. Biofeedback is used to train their bodies to function at peak performance levels to give them a winning edge.
Biofeedback helps to reduce a wide range of symptoms by lowering sympathetic arousal. Biofeedback trains patients to regulate their own unconscious physiology or body process to better control their response to pain, anxiety, stress and trauma. This is known as Self Regulation.
In a typical session a patients is hooked up to Biomedical equipment through the use of sensors which monitor EMG- Electromyography which measures muscle tension, GSR-Galvanic Skin Response which measures sweat gland activity and a Thermoster which measures hand temperature.
These measurements are displayed on a screen for monitoring. Computer software in the form of video games, music and tones formulated just for Biofeedback training are incorporated along with coaching and training by the Biofeedback provider to assist the patient in affecting these measurements by decreasing muscle tension and sweat gland activity while increasing hand temperature. This is what is known as the Relaxation Response. When our muscles are relaxing, sweating is decreasing and hand temperature is increasing we are creating a state of relaxation in the body. As the body relaxes our pain level decreases as well.
Research in the area of pain management supports that the healing and recovery process is enhanced and even expedited when pain is well controlled. This is why Biofeedback is also referred to as the Natural Pain Killer. In addition research further supports that Biofeedback is a highly effective intervention for the reduction of anxiety, depression, and injury recovery to name just a few.
Biofeedback is a non invasive, relaxing and fun experience for kids. Here at Totally Kids we are very excited about the addition of Biofeedback to our acute pediatric program!
Mary Kay Chesher RTC, Biofeedback Provider