Bio feedback

purrmom · ‎05-27-2010

My doctor wants to refer me for bio feedback for a urinary problem. Anyone have any experience with bio feedback for this problem or any other problem?

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Bio-Feedback was part of my Physical Therapy for Patella Tendonitis which I suffered from about a week after I retired. Could not run/skate/ride exercise bike or just about anything that used the legs and you needed to bend the knee. I could use my upper arms and that is how I maintained my conditioning through these almost 4 months.

Of course there were other specific exercises in PT, but very careful with the load put on the knee, more specifically the Patella. Went 3 times per week for 2+ hours of PT, and each session included about 30 minutes of Bio-Feedback.

This for me was more tiring than the more cardio specific exercises because the brain and muscles had to work exactly at the same time or it was not being done correctly. The goal for my injury was to get the VMO muscles to contract before the larger part of the quadriceps muscles.

Electrodes were placed on and around my knee/lower and upper, and also on the quadriceps muscles. This showed which contracted first and if it was the upper quads, I was doing it incorrectly. Took me a long time to get this down and it was both mentally and physically taxing to say the least.

This along with specific exercises I used at home, after it was beginning to heal, I am still doing and now contracting the VMO muscles is automatic with me especially noticeable when climbing stairs. What this does it keep the stress on the kneecap and patella to a minimum.

Also was prescribed 800mg of Ibuprofen x 3 a day, which was a therapeutic dose at that time. It was close to 4 months before I could again ice skate and even longer before I was able to run. Not exactly how I thought my first days of my retirement would be spent.

That was my experience and it was it started in November of 1991. I am sure the methods and the equipment have improved over these years, but the concept I would think is still pretty much the same.

I felt this was a big part of my recovery and also taught me more about how to prevent knee injuries by being able to contract the muscles that support the knees in the proper order of contractions.

No reason I wouldn't suggest you giving it a try if your doctor thinks it will work or help you. Best regards with this,

hckynut(john)