Many patients ask us what biofeedback training is. Simply put, biofeedback is any physiological process that can be altered due to feedback, either visual or verbal. We use biofeedback every day in our normal routines: we receive biofeedback in the morning when we look in front of the mirror and comb our hair or put on our makeup. The visual picture allows us to make an immediate change to what we see, continuously altering the image in front of us to something we know through experience is the image we want. When you arrive at work, a co-worker remarks that she likes your outfit. This is verbal feedback. Perhaps you adjust your scarf in response to what she tells you.
At Phoenix Physical Therapy we use a form of biofeedback called surface EMG (electromyography) to visualize the function of the pelvic floor muscle which is the muscle responsible for and contributes to the syndromes and causes of incontinence, pelvic pain, elimination disorders, etc. The form of “biofeedback” that is used at Phoenix Physical Therapy involves small electrical signals that are picked up from the pelvic floor muscles which are otherwise hidden in our bodies but under our control. Without a way to visualize these muscles we cannot get a true picture of how these muscles are functioning. The specific functioning of the pelvic floor muscles is what creates a dysfunction and leads to the symptoms that bring you to our clinic. By changing the physiological process of the muscle (biofeedback) we are able to teach our patients lifelong skills to manage and eliminate their symptoms.
Our staff at Phoenix Physical Therapy hold international board certifications in biofeedback allowing us to take the computerized image of your muscle and using specific software, read the image in a way that allows us to teach you ways to change the function of this muscle. In turn, this change in the muscle helps to correct your symptoms and gives you an awareness of what to do to improve your symptoms. Our level of skill in this unique treatment allows us to set the standard for this type of treatment.
If you would like more information on this treatment approach feel free to contact our office.
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