Biofeedback for pelvic floor muscle contraction, relaxation and coordination

You might have mild or acute pelvic floor pain.

You might try to manage it on your own.
You might Google for quick fixes, hoping relief would respond as fast as your search results appear.

But nothing truly works. Because pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t just about symptoms. It’s about muscle coordination, strength, and control that require expert evaluation, care, and guided therapy.

That’s where biofeedback therapy comes in. Before you go to Google it again, let us describe it in detail.

What is Biofeedback Pelvic Floor Therapy?

It’s a non-invasive pelvic floor muscle coordination therapy that teaches you how to take voluntary control  on your pelvic floor. Think of a tampon sized small surface electrodes or internal sensor that continue to monitor and detect how your pelvic muscles are contracting or relaxing over time. Now, the information is gathered and delivered in a way that you can learn the language to manage your pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD).

When contraction in your pelvic muscle is done right, the display of the biofeedback machine provides positive reinforcement, and vice-versa. If your pelvic floor muscles are failing to contract properly or are overly tensed, you can learn how to make an adjustment. 

The device always takes you through a quick, real-time, and contingent feedback loop to strengthen your fundamental learnings. Thereafter, you can easily contract, isolate, or relax your pelvic muscles at your will and support effective chronic pain management.

What are the Common Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction (PFD)?

The common scenario that we generally find in all ages of PFD patients, regardless of their genders or age, is urinary incontinence, disturbed bowel movement, and acute constipation. Apart from that, other symptoms that are often included

• Overactive bladder, or hypertonic floors 

• Discomfort and burning sensation during sexual activity

• Pain in the lower back and hip

• Acute to chronic muscle tension or spasms in the pelvic area

• Pain in valva 

• Fecal incontinence

• Daytime wetting and other associated conditions (Mostly found in children)

• Pre and post-surgical vesicoureteral reflux

How Biofeedback Pelvic Floor Therapy Helps Treat Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

By observing patients’ improved outcomes with biofeedback pelvic floor therapy, we’ve identified the key benefits. It helps:

• Improve bladder control to manage urinary leakage or stress urinary incontinence (SUI)

• Lower bowel dysfunction, such as straining and incomplete evacuation

• Enhance the sexual function and emotional satisfaction of partners

• Promote blood circulation within the pelvic muscles and nerves

• Reduce lower back pain, pelvic pain, or other pain from injury or surgery

• Prevent worsening condition of pelvic organ prolapse (POP)

• Support managing chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs)

• Alleviate anxiety, depression, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc.

Who Can Benefit from Pelvic Floor Biofeedback Therapy?

Children aged from 5-13 facing daytime wetting, middle-aged and elderly people, postpartum women, post-surgical patients, or anyone who might have pelvic floor dysfunction – all get really significant relief. 

But don’t worry! By combining the use of biofeedback devices and pelvic floor relaxation training, you can control pelvic pain effectively, improve your confidence, and quality of life. 

What are the Associated Risks of Biofeedback Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy? 

As a non-invasive pelvic floor treatment, Biofeedback therapy eliminates possibilities of surgery and its associated recurrence risks. This helps you manage health, wellness, and emotional support without any side effects. This is true, absolutely!

However, be cautious. You might have experienced minimal complications with biofeedback devices. It happens when either you continue using a biofeedback device throughout the therapy, or after discontinuing use of the equipment forever.

Therefore, to see its potential benefits, you must actively participate under the supervision of your pelvic floor therapist and make necessary adjustments as guided.

When to Avoid Biofeedback Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy? 

In specific situations, using biofeedback devices for pelvic floor relaxation training may remain ineffective. You might need to consider if

• Your physical therapy specialist is lacking confidence or taking the therapy as a first-line treatment

• You’ve mixed disorders, likely a combination of pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) and overreactive bladder

• You’re facing difficulties in dealing with anxiety, depression, PTSD, or any other neurological disorders

• You’re aiming to continue biofeedback beyond six sessions, especially while observing no objective improvement in pelvic floor pain symptoms management

What to Expect During Your Biofeedback Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy Sessions? 

Typically, to assess and confirm whether you need a specialized biofeedback treatment, the procedure starts with

• Correcting toilet posture by securing buttock and foot support, alongside comfortable hip abduction

• Making you aware of pelvic floor muscle trainings such as relaxation and manual isolation techniques

• Addressing your behavioral issues to fix stress, urgency, or strain during bladder and bowel movements, and lifestyle modifications

• Teaching you how to do manual pelvic floor physiotherapy for muscle relaxation, trigger point release, and myofascial work

Generally, after approximately six to eight weeks of conservative management, you may be involved in biofeedback therapy. It’s not an immediate approach. If you’ve experienced persistent dyssynergia or the symptom severity even after conservative therapy, your healthcare therapist considers biofeedback. 

Each session typically lasts between 5-20 mins. With constructive care and adjustments based on how your body responds, you can see improvement in the next 8-12 weeks.

Take the First Step! 

Biofeedback, of course, a painless and risk-free way to control your acute to chronic pelvic floor symptoms, incontinence, and dysfunction. But it’s not absolutely a single first-line approach.

However, like other therapies, biofeedback treatment also demands your self-education, practice, and care. And, if you need an experienced pelvic floor physiotherapist to get help with, you can book your appointment with Get Back Physiotherapy at any point in time.