"A welcome addition to existing therapies"

Eveline Kempenaar is a trained physiotherapist. Body and mind are central to all treatments, aimed at preventing and treating complaints that originate from (work)stress. In her practice, based in Hillegom, the Netherlands, she uses a wide variety of therapeutical methods.

Since 2002, Eveline has been using biofeedback. She is a registered physiotherapist BIG, psychosomatic physiotherapist, breathing- and relaxation therapist and biofeedback therapist BCIAC. You will find more information about Eveline on her website www.evelinekempenaar.nl.

After she first started as a regular physiotherapist, Eveline now thankfully makes use of the possibilities that biofeedback has to offer. This developed gradually, she explains. "I started to specialize myself as a psychosomatic physiotherapist back in 1995 and consequently I receive many patients with tension complaints in my practice." She treats people who suffer from insomnia, long-term fatigue, tension headaches or a burn-out. "I'm treating patients with these complaints on a regular basis and I've been acquiring more and more know-how on how to help these patients." Biofeedback turned out to be a valuable addition to existing therapies.

Why biofeedback?

Eveline learned about biofeedback during a workshop about the prevention and the treatment of RSI."I frequently attend workshops and seminars to keep my knowledge up to date. One of these workshops was about electromyography, a method to measure muscle tension. I witnessed a demonstration of biofeedback and I thought that this could be a welcome addition to the treatment of my patients. I started to orientate myself on the subject and joined a number of congresses about biofeedback. This raised my interest in the possibilities of multiple channel biofeedback even more. I then decided to purchase professional equipment and I've been applying biofeedback more and more in my treatments."

She doesn't need to convince her clients before they're willing to try the treatment, Evelines says. "In general, clients actually like the fact that through biofeedback it's possible to visualize which part of their body does not react in the right way. It also gives a clear confirmation that a change in behavior or the application of a specific exercise in fact has a positive effect. In general I would say that biofeedback measurements clarify a lot for my clients and that biofeedback encourages them to change their behavior, their attitude or to apply the exercises."

Combination with other methods

Eveline mostly applies biofeedback in combination with other treatment methods. "For example I combine breathing or relaxation exercises with biofeedback. I do this because a biofeedback recording shows which bodily reactions are wrong, which makes it easier to make a treatment plan verifiable. A biofeedback recording makes it perfectly visible when a patient's breathing frequency is too high or when muscle tension shows a deviant value. Thus I can concentrate the treatment on the exact problem, and I can also measure the effect after the therapy. This is clearly a great advantage of working with biofeedback."
EnthusiasmEveline's clients generally respond positively to the biofeedback treatment. "They enjoy that they can literally see how and when their body reacts, which motivates them to actively engage in the therapy. It's also great to use biofeedback when working with children. Kids are very inquisitive and love to try all kinds of instructions to see how their body reacts. And we live in an age of computers and games, so this is an appealing way of practicing and much more fun than traditional exercises."

There are a few clients on who training with biofeedback works counterproductive. "With them I use other interventions for the training. But I do take a test, a psychophysiological recording, with all my clients. The results of this test are not presented to the client, and I only use the acquired data to assess the client's physical response."

Health insurance

For some clients, the question whether a treatment is covered by health insurance is fairly important. Biofeedback therapy as a separate treatment is not compensated by health insurances, but Eveline does not see this as a problem, not even for her clients."Biofeedback therapy is only one part of the treatments I apply as psychosomatic physiotherapist and thus the biofeedback therapy is in fact compensated by health insurance. For some extended examinations, like an extensive psychophysiological recording, I charge an additional fee. But when the treatment is part of a re-integration project, this often is compensated by the employer."

About Eveline Kempenaar

Eveline has a NeXus-4 system amongst others and she is very satisfied with it."In my work as a psychosomatic physiotherapist the NeXus-4 is very practical, especially because clients barely notice that the device is connected. The NeXus-4 is so small that it easily fits in a pocket or can be attached to a belt. And of course one another main advantage is that it's completely wireless. This enables me to test a client during a movement exercise or even during a walk outside. For extensive psycho physiological recordings I carry out with clients who are overworked or who suffer from a burn-out, I use a system with more extended possibilities." Eveline Kempenaar foresees a successful future for biofeedback. "Within the field of physical therapy, like many other professions, we want to have measurable results. And biofeedback enables just that: an exact measurement of the effect of a treatment."