Biofeedback for Chronic Pain

Biofeedback empowers individuals to manage chronic pain and related conditions effectively by providing them with awareness of their involuntary physiological processes and teaching them self-regulation techniques to gain control over these processes. This allows individuals to actively participate in their own pain management. 

Here’s a breakdown of how this empowerment occurs: 

• Gaining Bodily Insights: Biofeedback uses electrical sensors attached to the body to measure various physiological functions, such as brain waves (qEEG), breathing, heart rate (ECG), muscle contractions (EMG), sweat gland activity (EDG), and body temperature. The biofeedback provider can then present this information to the individual through visual (e.g., screen displays, flashing lights) or auditory (e.g., beeping sounds) cues. This immediate feedback allows individuals to become aware of bodily responses that are typically unconscious. For example, an EMG session might reveal specific muscles that are tense. 
• Learning Self-Regulation Techniques: Once an individual becomes aware of these physiological responses, a biofeedback therapist teaches them various mindful interventions and techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation. For instance, in response to an EMG reading indicating a tight muscle, the therapist can teach specific relaxation techniques to target that muscle. 
• Observing Physiological Changes: By observing the feedback in real-time as they practice these techniques, individuals can see or hear how their efforts are affecting their body (e.g., a muscle untensing, heart rate slowing down). This “seeing is believing” aspect reinforces the connection between their mental and behavioral efforts and their physiological responses. 
• Developing a Sense of Agency: This direct observation of their ability to influence previously involuntary bodily functions provides individuals with a sense of agency and control over their pain that may have previously felt uncontrollable. This can be particularly empowering for the estimated 50 million North Americans living with chronic pain who may feel their body is working against them. 
• Applying Learned Skills: Over multiple sessions, individuals learn to recognize the physiological signs of stress and pain and can then apply the learned techniques proactively to reduce the intensity of pain or stress whenever they experience it. The biofeedback equipment serves as a tool to demonstrate the real physiological changes resulting from these techniques, leading to increased feelings of well-being. Eventually, these changes can endure without the continued use of the instrument. 
• Addressing Related Conditions: Biofeedback is not limited to managing pain. It is also used to treat other conditions often related to or co-occurring with chronic pain, such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Chronic pain itself can increase stress, and biofeedback therapy can teach helpful stress management skills. Furthermore, in some studies, a decrease in pain with biofeedback therapy was accompanied by a reduction in symptoms of depression. 
• Holistic Approach: Biofeedback is often used as part of a holistic approach to treating both mental and physical health, sometimes categorized as a form of cognitive behavioral-based therapy. It can provide information about an individual’s health that they may not have been aware of and can lead to referrals for other beneficial treatments. Biofeedback is frequently combined with other treatments like coping skills training, meditation, physical therapy, relaxation therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. 

Ultimately, biofeedback empowers individuals by making the invisible visible and providing them with the tools and understanding to actively influence their body’s response to pain and stress, fostering a greater sense of control and well-being.