Biofeedback is defined by the German Society for Biofeedback as “a scientifically based method of behavioral therapy and behavioral medicine, with the help of which normally unconscious psychophysiological processes are made perceptible through feedback.”
Processes such as blood pressure, pulse or muscle activity are measured and the patient is made aware of them via acoustic or visual signals. The aim is for patients to learn how to consciously influence these processes and thus accelerate regeneration processes.1
Biofeedback has now established itself as a treatment method for a whole range of different physical, psychological and psychosomatic conditions. Although different measurement methods and values are used and a wide variety of physiological processes are observed, the underlying principle always remains the same.
With around 10 million patients affected, incontinence has become a widespread disease, affecting around 200 million people worldwide. Biofeedback therapy has been an established treatment method since the 1970s, enabling patients to tackle the causes of incontinence directly. In the case of incontinence, a distinction is made between urinary and fecal incontinence and the mixed form. Depending on the cause, urinary incontinence is further divided into stress, reflex and overflow incontinence. Women are particularly frequently affected: In Germany, around 25% of the female population are at least partially incontinent; urinary incontinence is the most common chronic disease in women.2
The cause of many forms of urinary or faecal incontinence is often weak pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles surround the urethra and anus, among other things, and fulfill three important functions that significantly influence continence: Tensing, relaxing and reflex tensing, i.e. holding back when pressure increases.
The pelvic floor muscles work largely unconsciously. Biofeedback therapy involves the use of vaginal and anal probes or electrodes on the skin to measure muscle activity. This allows the patient to train the bladder and sphincter muscles in a targeted manner and tackle the cause of the incontinence. The direct traceability of the training successes via biofeedback can permanently increase motivation and thus promote long-term treatment success. In addition, the muscles can be electrically stimulated to support the patient during their exercises. With regular repetition of exercises, the likelihood of success is around 70 – 80%.3
By receiving direct feedback on the processes and procedures in their body, patients learn to consciously influence them. This can range from muscle training to a deliberate slowing of the heartbeat and relaxation of muscle tone through to consciously influencing the width of blood vessels. The aim remains to demonstrate to the patient that even minimal changes have an impact on physical processes and that they can learn to positively influence healing or rehabilitation.4
The EMG (electromyogram) measures the resting and action potential of the muscles concerned and thus provides the basis for biofeedback therapy: in a state of relaxation or tension, threshold values are defined that need to be exceeded or maintained. This not only gives the patient a precise insight into their muscle activity, but also enables them to train their muscles in a comprehensible, measurable and targeted manner. The aim can be to learn certain movement patterns or – as with incontinence therapy – to strengthen certain muscles.
An electromyogram answers the fundamental question “How are the muscles behaving?” and allows action to be derived from this. The quantitative and objective measurement of muscle function offers various advantages:
Biofeedback therapy can be very effective in the treatment of chronic and acute pain – pain can be reduced by 50 – 60%, which is equivalent to drug treatment. It should be noted that such an effect can only be achieved after several sessions – however, the effect is more lasting compared to taking medication and does not burden the body with chemical substances.6
HELLER MEDIZINTECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG has been a certified medical technology company for over 25 years and has many years of experience in designing solutions in the field of electrical nerve and muscle stimulation.
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