PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Frank Andrasik
TI  - Biofeedback in headache: An overview of approaches and evidence
AID  - 10.3949/ccjm.77.s3.13
DP  - 2010 Jul 01
TA  - Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
PG  - S72--S76
VI  - 77
IP  - 7 suppl 3
4099  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/77/7_suppl_3/S72.short
4100  - http://www.ccjm.org/content/77/7_suppl_3/S72.full
SO  - Cleve Clin J Med2010 Jul 01; 77
AB  - Biofeedback-related approaches to headache therapy fall into two broad categories: general biofeedback techniques (often augmented by relaxation-based strategies) and methods linked more directly to the pathophysiology underlying headache. The use of general biofeedback-assisted relaxation techniques for headache has been evaluated extensively by expert panels and meta-analyses. Taken together, these reviews indicate that (1) various forms of biofeedback are effective for migraine and tension-type headache; (2) outcomes with biofeedback rival outcomes with medication therapy; (3) combining biofeedback with medication can enhance outcomes; and (4) despite efficacy in many patients, biofeedback fails to bring significant relief to a sizeable number of headache patients. Biofeedback methods that more directly target headache pathophysiology have focused chiefly on migraine. These headache-specific approaches include blood volume pulse biofeedback, which has considerable supportive evidence, and electroencephalographic feedback.