Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a technique that physical therapists use to evaluate and control muscle functions of the body. When a patient participates in biofeedback treatments, they are connected to sensors that help provide information about the patient’s ability to contract or relax a specific group of muscles.
With the information received from the sensors, your physical therapist can help you make subtle changes to your body, such as relaxing tight muscles in order to relieve pain or strengthen weak muscles to improve function. Biofeedback helps patients improve their health conditions and physical performance by facilitating improved muscle coordination and control. If you are interested in learning more about biofeedback and how it may benefit you, contact Total Body Physical Therapy today!
How does biofeedback work?
Biofeedback equipment is an intricate system capable of transmitting neuromuscular data captured with EMG sensors. This real-time data is sensitive to small changes in muscle tension that a patient may not have been aware of. This data gives detailed insight to muscle performance.
There are a variety of biofeedback methods that our licensed Sarasota physical therapists employ. They may decide to do any combination of these methods, based on the nature of your condition and your overall goals. The different types of biofeedback methods include:
- Muscle contraction- Sensors are placed on your skeletal muscles to monitor the characteristics of muscle contraction including the ability to isolate contraction, maximum force of contraction, endurance, ability to hold and quality repetitions performed. Biofeedback can then be utilized to assist in effectively recruiting and strengthening the muscle group.
- Muscle relaxation- This is also known as “downtraining” an overactive muscle group. We are all familiar with the concept of holding your tension in your muscles. Biofeedback has been found to be an effective treatment approach to help decrease muscle resting tone and pain in the muscles involved.
Who is a candidate for biofeedback?
There are a wide range of conditions that biofeedback can monitor and help treat. These include physical, mental, and emotional conditions, including but not limited to:
- Chronic pain
- Pelvic pain
- Muscle imbalances
- Overuse injuries
- Anxiety and stress
- Fibromyalgia
- Headaches and migraines
- Fecal and urinary incontinence
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
How will biofeedback benefit me?
There are several benefits to participating in biofeedback treatments. As a non-invasive way to monitor different aspects of muscle coordination and determine where changes in muscle performance should be made, biofeedback can improve function. In many cases, biofeedback treatments can even eliminate the need for harmful drugs or surgical correction, as they provide imperative information on the root of the problem. By doing so, our physical therapists are then able to design specialized treatment plans to treat the issue at its core.
Biofeedback treatments are a safe, natural, and effective way to relieve pain, increase muscle strength and regain optimum function of your body. Overall, biofeedback treatments are a great way to provide recovery from a large number of conditions, by focusing on muscle control and allowing you to feel more in control of your health.
Contact us today!
If you are suffering from a physical condition that is limiting your daily life, biofeedback treatments may be for you. Contact our Sarasota physical therapy office today to schedule a consultation and discuss how you may benefit from biofeedback. At Total Body Physical Therapy, we are dedicated to improving your health and wellness so you can get back to living your life.
