The use of biofeedback techniques for pain control reflects the deeper appreciation medical science has achieved over the last few decades for the mind body connection. Biofeedback is a technique by which an individual learns methods for controlling and changing certain physiological states related to the experience of pain (for example, tension in the muscles or general arousal level of the nervous system). This has practical importance since changing these bodily functions can favorably alter the pain experience.
At CPS biofeedback training is often part of a patient's comprehensive pain management program. A trained and focused mind can become more aware of what's going on inside the body and gain greater control over chronic pain.
Research has shown that both the duration and severity of chronic pain are strongly related to overall levels of tension. Specifically, it has been found that chronic pain is more prolonged and made more severe by constant activation of the body's stress response. Stress and pain interact. When an individual's experience of chronic pain causes stress and being stressed worsens pain, psychological therapies such as relaxation and breath training may help break the cycle. Relaxation training in it's various forms can help jmprove pain tolerance, activity levels, and self-esteem as well as decrease anxiety, stress, depression, and reliance on pain medicines.
BIOFEEDBACK & RELAXATION THERAPIES
CPS patients are taught to master proven, tried-and-true muscle relaxation and relaxed breathing techniques. With this training, patients learn to self regulate cognitive and bodily responses related to the chronic pain experience. By the end of their treatment, patients who master relaxation techniques have an increased sense of well-being and their pain experience is almost always favorably altered.