Biofeedback

This therapy approach helps patients learn to control their bodies’ physical responses, such as heart rate, breathing and muscle tension. It’s used to treat headaches, anxiety and chronic pain, among other conditions, and it’s sometimes used in conjunction with cognitive behavior therapy.

As your child receives real-time physiological feedback from sensors connected to a computer, your child is able to see how his or her body reacts to stressors and how well he or she is doing with breathing and relaxation techniques. This visual feedback helps your child retrain the brain and body on how to respond to a stressor such as pain or an anxiety-inducing situation. Biofeedback has been shown to be as or even more effective than medication in some cases.

Children’s Wisconsin offers specialists who are trained in biofeedback as well as state-of-the-art biofeedback equipment. Our staff can also recommend computer apps that can be used to practice biofeedback therapy at home.

Related conditions:

• Anxiety
• Chronic intractable constipation
• Constipation
• Functional abdominal pain
• Headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome

Related services:

• Constipation
• Functional abdominal pain
• Headaches
• Irritable bowel syndrome