Biofeedback is the process of gaining greater awareness of many physiological functions of one's own body by using electronic or other instruments, and with a goal of being able to manipulate the body's systems at will.
Biofeedback has been proven effective in the treatment of urinary incontinence in numerous research studies. It can be used to help women learn to control and strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles (PFM) are a group of muscles that play an important role in bladder control.
Biofeedback is offered as a treatment option for:
People who “strain” to void
People who do not empty their bladder completely
People with recurrent urinary tract infections
People who void with a start-stop-start pattern
People who void with a prolonged flow without much “force”
During a biofeedback session, stickers are placed on your belly and buttocks. These stickers have wires connected to a computer. The wires send signals to the computer telling it how well the pelvic floor muscles are squeezing and relaxing. This information is turned into picture and sound messages you can hear and see on the computer. By hearing and seeing these messages, you can know exactly what their muscles are doing. If they change what their muscles are doing, the feedback on the computer will also change. These exercises help you learn to control his pelvic floor muscles, even when he is not hooked up to the computer. The overall goal is to improve your ability to store urine and empty his bladder more effectively.
