What Are Biofeedback Treatments?

Biofeedback treatments are a technique that can teach you to control certain bodily functions, like your heart rate, and a skilled Rockville, MD chiropractor can show you how. 

When you’re working with biofeedback treatments, you’re connected to electrical sensors that help to give you information about your body. This feedback can help you to make subtle changes to your body. You may relax a certain muscle and find that it lessens your pain, or you may adjust your breathing and find that your chest no longer hurts. Biofeedback teaches you what to practice helping your body. What controls best help to improve your life.

Types of Biofeedback

Depending on your health and goals, your chiropractor may recommend one of several types of biofeedback. Some of these types include:

  • Brain wave biofeedback appointments where professionals attach scalp sensors to you. These sensors monitor your brain waves through EEG. 
  •  During respiratory biofeedback appointments the chiropractor will place you in a set of bands that are around your abdomen and chest. These measure your breathing patterns and respiration rates.
  • Heart rate biofeedback appointments use finger or earlobe sensors attached to a device that can detect blood volume changes. Blood volume changes are detected with a photoplethysmography. Chiropractors may also have you wear sensors on your chest and lower torso and your wrists with an ECG to measure your heart rate and how it changes.
  • Muscle contraction biofeedback requires placing sensors over your skeletal muscles with an electromyograph, or EMG, to monitor electrical activity. In this case, chiropractors are looking to make sure the right electrical activity is happening when muscle movement occurs.
  • Sweat gland activity is a form of biofeedback that focuses on your sweat glands and the amount of perspiration on your skin. The doctors attach sensors to your fingers, on your palm or wrist, with an electrodermograph or EDG. This will alert you to anxiety or other feelings of discomfort.
  • And last but not least, you have temperature biofeedback. Licensed professionals will attach sensors to your hands or feet to measure blood flow to your skin. Your temperature can drop when you are stressed, so a low reading might prompt you to start relaxation techniques of your choosing, to raise your temperature back up and lessen your stress.

Biofeedback Devices

So funnily enough, biofeedback devices are becoming more common and they’re easier to get a hold of. Not all of them, but a lot of them. Your Fitbit falls into the category of a biofeedback wearable device, especially if it gives you information on your blood pressure and heart rate. However, there are many more devices available. We’ll run you through the list now.

Some biofeedback items are interactive computer programs and mobile devices. These sensors plug into your computer and the device has sensors that you’d wear. This is seen with adaptive headphone technology, such as wearing a headband that monitors your brain activity as you meditate. The information from these sessions is stored on your computer and you can track your progress over time.

Wearable devices, like the Fitbit and Apple Watch are another large category that are easily available to consumers. Most wearable devices have an app that accompanies them and tracks your information.

If you think that biofeedback could help with your fibromyalgia or other chronic pain, reach out to a chronic pain specialist, such as a reputable professional from AmeriWell Clinics. Contacting the right physician or specialist can help make your life easier, especially if you’re having trouble finding the right biofeedback treatment for your pain.