3 Ways Biofeedback Helps Patients Control Chronic Pain

Biofeedback, a technique in which patients use their mind to control bodily functions that normally occur automatically, can give patients the skills to lessen their pain at home.

Migraine sufferer Amanda, 39, of Manchester, N.H., found success the first time she experienced biofeedback. In considerable pain that day, her skin temperature was low. But with a few minutes of relaxation training by a biofeedback practitioner, she found that she could raise it.

"I knew that when I get in pain, my [skin] temperature drops," she says. Within a few minutes, Amanda was able to raise it. "The practitioner was shocked because I got it up so quickly. I really did warm up. It's a matter of just clearing your mind and deep breathing."

In a biofeedback session, sensors attached to your body are connected to a monitoring device that measures body functions such as breathing, perspiration, skin temperature, blood pressure, and heartbeat. When you relax, clear your mind, and breathe deeply, your breathing slows and your heart rate dips correspondingly. As the numbers change on the monitors, you begin to learn how to consciously control body functions that are normally unconscious. For many patients, it can be a powerful, liberating experience.

Already familiar with the relaxation techniques of yoga and meditation, Amanda was impressed with what she could accomplish during a biofeedback session. "We think 'I'm tense and there's nothing I can do about it,'" she says. "But if you stop your mind and you breathe, it can help anyone with anything."

Biofeedback patients learn to control the sympathetic nervous system—the ancient "fight or flight" response, which when we are stressed, leaves us with beating hearts, sweaty palms, and tight muscles that can worsen pain. The technique works in several ways.