There are many systems in the body that continue to work unnoticed in daily life. The work of the heart or the activities of the digestive system can be given as an example of this situation. Biofeedback is a behavioral treatment method that includes re-education of the intestine.
What is Biofeedback?
In the simplest terms, biofeedback is the process of converting an action in the body into a sound or image that can be perceived by the person.
Biofeedback is a technique that aims to increase control by raising awareness on involuntary actions in the body. It is ensured that the person is informed about how his or her body works. With this information, it is aimed to provide control over that body function.
Although it is generally applied to people who lost control of some muscles during the course of various chronic diseases, biofeedback has many uses.
Negative changes in blood pressure, body temperature, and cognitive functions may occur. In the person who realizes how these changes occur due to stress, it is possible to control the negative changes that occur by increasing the effectiveness of the response to stress, thanks to the biofeedback technique. There is a need for appropriate devices that will provide information on the subject and express how these measurements vary. In biomechanical technique, body activities and movements are detected by sensors. EMG (electromyography) is most commonly used to determine the degree of muscle activity; heart rate, rhythm, respiratory rate and depth, and electrodermography (electrical activity in the skin) form other measured parameters.
Detection of brain activity with EEG is carried out by sensors placed on the scalp. Use sensors placed on the chest wall to detect breathing pattern and number warm. Electrodermagraphy (EDG), on the other hand, enables the measurement of the electrical activity of the sweat glands in the skin.
What are Biofeedback Devices?
Which devices to use vary depending on which technique is chosen. Equipment selection is made according to the parameter that needs to be measured with biomechanical or physiological techniques.
In biomechanical feedback applications, since the basic parameters are concepts such as motion and position, motion detectors such as accelerometers or gyroscopes, various sensors and simultaneous ultrasonography can be used. Devices that provide feedback through various methods such as vibration or vibration are also used.
How is the Biofeedback Method Applied?
The first stage of the application of the biofeedback method begins with the realization of certain physical measurements of the person. The values of the measured physical parameters are transferred to the person directly or by using certain stimuli such as some sounds. On the other hand, the measurement of the relevant heart parameters and the determination of how they change are performed.
For a successful session, the motivation and participation of the person must be high. Ensuring full communication between the therapist and the participant during the session is an important issue for the complete realization of the commands given by the therapist.
Biofeedback sessions are usually completed in half an hour to an hour. How many sessions there will be is a personal situation and biofeedback sessions may continue until the person fully understands the mechanism of creating a physical response. may apply to ensure that it is observed. Muscle groups involved in functions such as digestion, defecation, and urination are among the muscle groups observed in biofeedback applications. Motor weakness after stroke, after orthopedic surgeries and various neuromuscular diseases can be given as examples of problems in which biofeedback methods are used in physical therapy planning.
In the presence of problems such as anxiety, pain or urinary and stool incontinence, apart from neuromuscular problems, biofeedback methods are used to monitor the activities of the gastrointestinal (digestive) system and genitourinary (excretion) system and to raise awareness in muscle activities related to these functions.
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Biofeedback methods are considered safe and without side effects. For this reason, it is an application that can be applied in every age group without any reason not to be applied.
Biofeedback technique can contribute to the control of many physical and cognitive disorders:
- Asthma
- Urine incontinence
- Fecal incontinence
- Constipation
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Some side effects of chemotherapy
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Raynaud's disease
- Chronic pain conditions with long-standing back pain, pelvic pain, or other syndromes
- Chronic fatigue
- Fibromyalgia
- Stress
- Tinnitus
- Migraine headache
- Epilepsy
- Depression
- Anxiety (anxiety disorder) The biofeedback technique is a very useful method in determining whether the exercises included in the treatment planning are performed correctly by the patient, especially in cases of incontinence.
Strengthening the pelvic floor muscles is involved in solving urinary incontinence and other bladder problems caused by various reasons in women. These muscles play an important role in controlling the urine output. Therefore, anything that may occur in these muscles Any problem can result in urinary or stool incontinence. Various exercises (Kegel exercises) are recommended by physicians to strengthen these pelvic floor muscles.
In the biofeedback session performed due to incontinence, which muscles are used during exercise and muscle strength can be determined and converted into visual or auditory data. Biofeedback has no effect on the muscles, it is just a technique that helps to perform exercises correctly.
Two small sensors are placed in the anal area or areas where the pelvic muscles are close to the skin. Another sensor is placed in the abdominal region to determine whether the abdominal muscles, which should not normally be used during pelvic muscle exercise, are involved in the exercise. It can reach dimensions that can lead to isolation from the world. The use of biofeedback techniques for the treatment of fecal incontinence is a method that has been applied since the 70s. It is possible to determine how it changes during the session. Thus, reducing the number of drugs used by the person at the end of successful sessions may be beneficial in avoiding the side effects that may occur due to polypharmacy (use of many drugs). However, it should not be forgotten that any drug should not be left without the knowledge of the physician prescribing it.
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