The effect of biofeedback interventions on pain, overall symptoms, quality of life and physiological parameters in patients with pelvic pain

Abstract

Summary Background Biofeedback is recognized as an effective additive method for treating certain phenotypes of chronic pelvic pain syndrome and is a therapeutic option in other pelvic pain conditions. This review aims to evaluate evidence from the literature with a focus on the effect of biofeedback on pain reduction, overall symptom relief, physiological parameters and quality of life. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and PEDro from inception to July 2020. Data were tabulated and a narrative synthesis was carried out, since data heterogeneity did not allow a meta-analysis. The PEDro scale and the McMaster Critical Review Form—Quantitative Studies were applied to assess risk of bias. Results Out of 651 studies, 37 quantitative studies of primary research evaluating pelvic pain conditions in male and female adults and children were included. They covered biofeedback interventions on anorectal disorders, chronic prostatitis, female chronic pelvic pain conditions, urologic phenotypes in children and adults and a single study on low back pain. For anorectal disorders, several landmark studies demonstrate the efficacy of biofeedback. For other subtypes of chronic pelvic pain conditions there is tentative evidence that biofeedback-assisted training has a positive effect on pain reduction, overall symptoms relief and quality of life. Certain factors have been identified that might be relevant in improving treatment success. Conclusions For certain indications, biofeedback has been confirmed to be an effective treatment. For other phenotypes, promising findings should be further investigated in robust and well-designed randomized controlled trials.

The influence of one-time biofeedback electromyography session on the firing order in the pelvic floor muscle contraction in pregnant woman–A randomized controlled trial

“…Our outcomes correspond to the conclusion from a systematic review and meta-analysis by Wu et al (2021) that adding EMG biofeedback to standard PFM training improves its effectiveness in the therapy of pelvic floor dysfunctions. Similar findings were presented also by other authors analyzing relationships between EMG biofeedback and pelvic pain in various populations ( Wagner et al, 2022 ). However, various researchers mainly focused on the effectiveness of multiple biofeedback applications ( Batista et al, 2011 ; de Oliveira Ferro et al, 2020 ; Kopanska et al, 2020 ).…”

Biofeedback in medicine with a focus on cancer rehabilitation

“…The review about the concept of psychosomatic competence is of high interest for all of us dealing with patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders [5]. A survey about the effects of biofeedback interventions in patients with pelvic pain, focusses on this very relevant but often forgotten clinical syndrome [6]. Virtual reality as a modern basis for treatment of stress, especially in children and adolescents, is described by Kothgassner et al [7].…”

The effect of spinal magnetic stimulation on the management of functional constipation in adults

“…The pain had a significant impact on those patients regarding bowel habits and quality of life. Biofeedback was considered an additive effective tool for treating chronic pelvic pain due to various causes and in anorectal disorders [32]. rSMS has proven to have a painrelieving effect in neuropathic pain [33].…”