Biofeedback, in the hands of a skilled practitioner, can lead patients to better health outcomes through greater awareness of their bodies. In short, biofeedback allows patients to realize the power they hold within themselves to heal.
Every minute change in our body chemistry, as stimulated by our brains, has an immediate and demonstrable impact on our autonomic nervous system functions. Being able to see these minute changes in real time allows us a clear window into these biological connections. At NEUROMUSCULAR REHABILITATION, it allows us to teach our clients self-care skills — with real time feedback regarding the effectiveness of our interventions.
Having this abundance of critical data also allows us to instill confidence in our patients that indeed are making real, meaningful, demonstrable changes in their bodily functions. Whether we are teaching postural awareness, breathing or meditation, biofeedback allows the client to become an active participant in their rehabilitative process — because they see for themselves how their bodies are responding. This can be especially helpful in the treatment of chronic pain clients who, after years of infirmity, may feel there is no hope for them other than medication.
Patients with acute or chronic myofascial pain often times present combinations of muscle hyper- and hypo-activity. This can affect how we move and complete the daily functions of life. These abnormal movement patterns (or even elevated resting levels of muscle activity), greatly impact how someone will respond to activity, exercise or even sedentary positions such as driving or computer use.
People who have previously “failed” physical therapy attempts — because they could not tolerate the rehab exercises — are usually quite happy to discover that with biofeedback assistance in exercise prescription, they better tolerate exercise programs when proper movement patterns are demonstrated via biofeedback.