Heart Care Info - Heart Disease Prevention & Treatment

Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Therapy for Children and Adolescents with Chronic Pain

AK Yetwin - 2012 - Objective. As a brief, noninvasive, cost-effective, and technology-driven therapy, biofeedback is a promising and welcomed clinical intervention for children and adolescents with pediatric chronic pain conditions. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the ...

Objective. As a brief, noninvasive, cost-effective, and technology-driven therapy, biofeedback is a promising and welcomed clinical intervention for children and adolescents with pediatric chronic pain conditions. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the application of a brief Heart Rate Variability (HRV) biofeedback intervention supplemented by at-home breathing practice as a tool for reducing symptomatology associated with chronic pain in a pediatric urban hospital setting. Method. Twenty-one participants between the ages of 10 and 17 years (M = 14.05, SD = 1.91; 76% female) and their caregivers were recruited from Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Participants were randomized to receive either (1) immediate biofeedback treatment including at-home breathing practice or (2) to be placed on a 4-week waitlist and then enrolled in the biofeedback treatment. Study outcomes included self-reported pain intensity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), sleep, depression, and anxiety sensitivity. HRV data were obtained from biofeedback sessions. Results. Following biofeedback treatment, children in this study achieved significant reductions in self-reported pain intensity, higher levels of self-reported school functioning, and increased HRV, as measured by Blood Volume Pulse (BVP) amplitude. Participants in the waitlist group experienced an increase in pain intensity during the waitlist period. Discussion. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying HRV biofeedback and its treatment of pediatric chronic pain.