SITTING-POSITION

Myofunktional Exercise  Collection

Application:

Taking up this basic position stands for the first step into Myofunctional training. Mainly for patients showing postural problems, hypotonus, hypermobility this exercise means the first contact with the capability of self-perception and self- correction.

Contents:

Orientation (Sensibilization) region exceeding.

Demonstration of a balanced, well-adjusted body feeling as the basis exercises.

Materials:

Valuable would be a seating device facilitating a – convenient to the patients body size – posture of the thigh parallel to the floor while the trunk can be balanced freely. A convenient seat might be a chest or stool, recommended a training ball (gym-ball) as this requires additional balancing.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Not directly necessary; all in all a sufficient start motivation should have been gained (see MOTIVATION). The patient should be properly instructed about the contents of the Myofunctional Therapy.

-Starting position: The patient sits down, positions the feet straight side by side and puts the hands upon the thighs, eyes straight ahead.

- Step-by-step-description:

   The anatomical and sports medical details are as complex as the motivation background here should rather be delineate by the patient proved “story”:

Let us suppose your spine being put up from those little chicken egg sized tomato puree tins.

-1 Put them now on top of each other as a tower, one by on – your spine. Do you feel how this tower is well balanced without tumbling over to one side? Try it out, lean a bit over to the left – the tower tends to fall. Line it up again.

To the right – line it up, forward – straight, back and straight upright again.

-2 Now we, very cautiously, set a turnip on top of the tower – your head. Now the tower shall not lose its balance, can you feel it?

-3 Put chin and face as if some one has pushed the drawer in with his flat hand – your chin – like I do it now (demonstration).

-4 and now let your wings hang – your shoulders.

-Timing: The position is maintained for half a minute at first. Subsequently the patient may move arms, legs and had. Repetitions are following in an adequate time limit. In an advanced stage of training this procedure is followed by the exercise REST POSITION.

Characteristics:

Motivation, Information, Extrinsic Stereognosis, Myobalance, REST POSITION, Coordination, static, Tonus.

Remarks:

The exercise should be performed slowly and leisurely, the patient shall get the opportunity to feel each step distinctly and to comprehend it.

Discussion:

This exercise will represents the first training-oriented approach between therapist and patient and the own body-feeling. Motivation and the ability to empathize from the therapist thus reflect an eminent importance.

From this exercise the development progresses to the REST POSITION of the Orofacial and the Stomatognathic System. So, subsequently, SITTING-POSITION and REST -POSITION are joined in the BASIC-POSITION. Then follows the concentration on the Orofacial System with the  ,L’-, the ,M’- and the ,L-M’-POSITION.

See illustration BASIC-POSITION

Instructions:

While sitting the body should be in a most favourable and loosened up position.

With this we shall play through the following story:

Imagine the spine consisting of those small egg size tomato puree cans.

Sit down on a chair at best as high as for the thighs to come parallel to the floor. Of course a big plastic training ball will do it, too.

No try to feel how you put these tins, one on top of the other, to form a tower, the spine.

Feel how this tower keeps standing well balanced without tumbling to one side.

On top of it you, now with all your sensitivity, put a turnip – your head. Feel the balanced stability!

Neither the tower should tumble nor should the turnip topple.

Face and chin, now, will be held as if someone had shoved the drawer (your chin) in with the flat hand. This is described precisely in the ,DRAWER-IN’-EXERCISE. This position should be taken up adopted frequently over the day but especially before starting with a head muscle exercise.