Manual Biofeedback

Among the many tools I used to help train and treat athletes are various forms of biofeedback such as heart-rate monitoring. Manual biofeedback is another procedure I developed, which helps improve muscle imbalance by correcting muscle weakness—abnormal inhibition—whether from local muscle problems, or brain or spinal cord injury. It’s a safe and effective, and relatively easy approach for use by most health-care professionals (and even lay people), usually producing a rapid response. Manual biofeedback is useful for virtually all athletes, including those who have obvious physical injuries, and those who appear injury-free but may have subtle muscle imbalances that can adversely affect performance.

Most people who have injuries associated with muscle imbalance fall into at least one of two categories:

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  • Local muscle injury is the most common cause of physical problems, and is often associated with trauma to the muscle itself, such as the result of a fall, a so-called pulled muscle, a twisted ankle, or other injury. Micro-trauma is even more widespread ; it’s the accumulation of minor physical stress in a muscle or joint, often unnoticed while it’s happening, eventually causing a more obvious muscle problem. Endurance training produces significant wear and tear on the body’s mechanics—a stress that most athletes should adapt to well. But often, this stress is not compensated for and muscle imbalance develops. Non-athletic activity can also be a problem: too much sitting, repetitive motion injury, or walking in poor-fitting shoes often leads to micro-trauma, which in turn ultimately causes muscle problems. Local muscle injuries can result in anything from minor annoying ache to a serious or chronic debilitating condition.
  • Brain or spinal cord injury can occur at any age, even before birth, and usually milder forms can be found in athletes. Trauma, infection, or reduced nutrient supply can easily cause brain or spinal cord damage resulting in poor muscle function. An athlete involved in a bike crash can often sustain a brain or spinal cord injury with or without a helmet.

Manual biofeedback can help promote and restore muscle balance, and in doing so help improve overall physical movement. Increased movement is a powerful therapy in itself; it not only helps locomotion and posture, but the brain as well, including speech, vision, balance, memory, and even intellect. And because muscles have other important functions, such as energy production, circulation, and immune activity, increasing physical movement can improve overall health.

While traditional EMG (electromyography) biofeedback uses computer equipment, including mechanical sensors and electrodes attached to the skin, manual biofeedback does not use any equipment. Instead, manual biofeedback uses another person’s neurological sense (the practitioner’s) in the biofeedback process. This is a more personalized approach, recruiting more brain-body stimulation with verbal, visual, tactile, and other sensory cues, that further enlists the person’s participation and motivation. Like many forms of biofeedback, manual biofeedback relies on muscle testing.