Life With Chronic Pain

Biofeedback is a relatively new and exciting treatment for chronic pain and many other conditions where emotions are involved. The best part about it is that it is chemical and side effect free.

Last week I went to a psychologist who specializes in patients with chronic pain. We talked about different treatment options and biofeedback seemed like the best use of our time and my money.

She started by putting sensors on my neck and trapezius muscles. These sensors measure the electrical signals in the muscles and can therefore measure how tense or relaxed the muscles are.

Then she put a heart rate monitor on my finger and a strap around by diaphragm to measure my breathing. She also put sensors on my hand to measure the amount of moisture in my skin and also my skin temperature.

The next step was to get my baseline readings. So I just sat there for about ten minutes while she talked to me about the process. Once my baseline readings were taken she showed me my readings and compared them to “normal.” My heart rate was around 90 beats per minute. The ideal range is between 60 -70. Before I was sick I worked out religiously. My resting heart rate was 45 bpm. I was shocked that my cardiovascular health had declined so rapidly in such a relatively short period of time.

She then explained to me the other readings such as the Galvanis Skin Response or the moisture content of the skin. I am not completely sure about what this does, but apparently the rapid fluctuations in skin moisture can measure emotional stress. This is very similar to the “E-meter” used by Scientology.

On of the other sensors was measuring my skin temperature. I had guessed that my skin temperature was going to be low because my hands and feet are always cold. My average skin temp was about 83 degrees. The ideal skin temperature is about 94 degrees. This indicates that I have poor circulation. Poor circulation can lead to some types of chronic pain.

My breathing was also very shallow and as a result I was taking lots of breaths every minute. Ideally, one should take deep diagrammatic breaths. This super oxygenates your blood and therefore requires your heart to pump less blood and slows down your heart rate down.

The next step was to practice taking deep breaths. It was amazing to watch my heart rate go up as I inhaled and down as I exhaled. As I practiced my heart rate trended down. I have always heard that deep breathing is the easiest way to calm down, but it was amazing to see it before my eyes. There are many other advanced techniques and I am looking forward to learning them

I would defiantly recommend biofeedback to people experiencing chronic pain, anxiety, etc. I was amazed at the results only after one session.