Essay On Biofeedback

Though biofeedback has been described as a useful therapeutic intervention in patients with pelvic floor disorders like incontinence or constipation, it will not be inappropriate to discuss it in this chapter as few functional anal pains like the levator ani syndrome have been found to be relieved with biofeedback therapy. The concept of biofeedback is that patients with disordered defecation are unable to respond appropriately to the stimulus of rectal distension. With incontinence, contraction of the external anal sphincter (EAS) is impaired, and with obstructive defecation, relaxation of the EAS is impaired. To defecate properly, patients must relearn the sensation of rectal distension and how to respond appropriately. During

Patients are made to learn to use the machine independently and then perform sessions at home. With time, the rectal sensation is heightened, external anal sphincter strength increased, and the coordination between rectal distension and EAS contraction improved. Biofeedback is useful to train the minds of patients with levator ani syndrome to relax their levator ani muscles and break the spastic cycle. A study has claimed that after biofeedback, the pain score and analgesic requirements were significantly reduced in patients with levator ani syndrome. There were no remarkable changes in the anorectal physiology, and there have been no side effects. If the patient has obstructive defecation-related to animus, biofeedback is very likely to improve his symptoms. A small degree of success has been reported in patients with combined pelvic floor disorders and slow transit time. One can expect improvement of symptoms after biofeedback training sustaining for several years, and can be useful regardless of the patient 's age. In elderly patients with limited mobility, home exercise has been shown to be a useful alternative