Considered an effective therapy for many conditions, biofeedback is just one of the many services offered at The Pain Center of Arizona. Biofeedback can help improve your health by training you to control certain bodily functions that normally happen involuntarily. These functions include skin temperature, muscle tension, blood pressure, and heart rate. While biofeedback is helpful in many cases, those struggling with high blood pressure, tension headaches, migraine headaches, and chronic pain may find the process most useful.
Explaining how biofeedback works is slightly difficult because despite its high success rate, researchers still aren’t exactly sure how biofeedback is so beneficial. The one thing most pain doctors agree on is that the people who benefit the most have conditions that are brought on or made worse by stress. Therefore, relaxation is most likely the key to successful biofeedback therapy. Being under chronic stress causes blood pressure to become overactive, but with the help of a biofeedback therapist, you can learn to control your blood pressure with relaxation techniques and mental exercises.
To see the full results of biofeedback, a behavioral therapist (such as the one we have on staff at The Pain Center of Arizona) will help you learn to change your heart rate or blood pressure. During a biofeedback session, our expertly trained pain management specialists attach electrodes to your skin. The electrodes then send information to a monitoring box that translates the measurements into a tone that varies in pitch, a visual meter that varies in brightness, or a computer screen showing lines moving across a grid. Your biofeedback therapist will lead you in mental exercises, and soon you can learn to identify the mental behaviors that bring about the physical changes you want. Sessions generally last less than an hour but the number of sessions required depends on the condition being treated. Results may be seen within 8-10 sessions.
There are three types of biofeedback that are the most commonly used among pain specialists. The first, electromyography (EMG), measures muscle tension. Thermal biofeedback measures skin temperature. Neurofeedback or electroencephalography (EEG), measures brain wave activity.
So how do you know if biofeedback is the right choice for you? Chances are, if you’re suffering, The Pain Center of Arizona can help you. The number of conditions biofeedback helps treat is endless. Because of the lack of side effects, many people choose biofeedback over drugs. Not only is biofeedback effective in adults, but children can also reap the benefits. Studies have shown improved behavior in children with ADHD and migraines and chronic headaches after going through biofeedback. Research shows that biofeedback helps treat urinary incontinence, insomnia, depression, diabetes, back pain, anxiety, head injuries, and muscle spasms. There are many other conditions biofeedback treats as well. If you are suffering any kind of chronic pain due to a condition or injury, and you feel this might be the right treatment for you, please do not hesitate to call The Pain Center of Arizona.
If you suffer from chronic pain due to any condition or injury, find hope at The Pain Center of Arizona! Our dedicated team of board certified pain management physicians will work with you to treat your pain, increase your functionality and quality of life, and get you back into life! We have locations across Arizona, including Phoenix, Anthem, Surprise, Mesa, Gilbert, Deer Valley, Paradise Valley, and now Tucson! We take multiple insurance plans; click here to see if we take yours! To make an appointment and take the first step toward getting back into life, call us today at 1-888-PAINCENTER. We hope to see you soon!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
