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Biofeedback in the Treatment of Headache and Other
Childhood Pain
Christiane Hermann and Edward B. Blanchard
Posted: September 2006  
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback; June 2002, Vol 27, No. 2

Since the first biofeedback studies on pediatric pain were published in the early 1980s, most of the studies have focused on the treatment of pediatric migraine. More recently, biofeedback has also been evaluated in the treatment of tension headache in children. Not surprisingly, most of what we know about the efficacy and mechanisms of biofeedback in the treatment of children’s pain problems concerns the treatment of childhood headache. In this review, we provide a detailed summary of studies that have evaluated biofeedback in the treatment of childhood headaches with an emphasis on treatment outcome and maintenance of treatment success. Moreover, findings and hypotheses with regard to the mechanisms that may mediate the treatment effects of biofeedback are addressed. Finally, we discuss specific issues relating to the treatment of pain in children with biofeedback and outline future directions of research.