RINGLOCKER

Myofunktional Exercise  Collection

Application:

To enlarge click picture

The exercise effects the centring of the tongue tip at the “point”, the papilla incisive.

Contents:

The method represents a Habitualization of the standby position of the tongue by tactile kinaesthetic feedback (see “discussion”). It acts as a work-out for Orientation as well as Sensibilization and tactile Kinaesthesia and in a more advanced stage as a Hold-Exercise.

Materials:

An orthodontic elastic ringlet or the like, hand-mirror (description: “discussion).

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Creating the awareness of the POINT

 ( PROVE-THE-POINT,   LICK ).

-Starting position: The mouth is opened wide, the tongue still in low position may be stuck out slightly.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The positioning of the ringlet is, in the opening phase, performed by the therapist while, later on, by the patient, initially under hand mirror control, afterwards solely through tactile kinaesthesia.

-2 The ring is carried well centre on the tongue-tip to the SPOT.

-3 Static upholding of the ring at the POINT for an increasing interval.

-Timing: To improve the stereognostic ability and tactile kinaesthesia the exercise may be practiced in short combined sequences: Ring on the tip, lead it to the SPOT, let down. Repetition: Ring on – lead up – let down; each as one Sequence combined to a Series of twenty.

Repetition.

After a successful practicing phase, now, the fixation is emphasized., the exercise, then, existing in one mere Sequence which, in the course of therapy, will be prolonged from one minute at the beginning up to a quarter of, later-on half an hour till fixing the ring for a longer interval while being engaged with other things like TV, reading a book or else.

Characteristics:

In the first mode of dominating movements: Stereognosis, Taktileaesthesia, Tactile Kinaesthesia, (Mobility), Motility, Biofeedback, kinetic.

In the second, later mode statomotoric, fine-motor, stretching, eutonizing, Habitualization, Stand-by Position.

Remarks:

The body or the tongue will be kept thin and slender the side edges not touching the vicinity; the maintenance of the ring is performed without much effort; the back of the incisors is not touched.

Discussion:

For a rubber ringlet the MF-Therapists usually take an orthodontic rubber ring of the dimension of 1omm diameter and 1mm cord width. For some therapists this ring is a quintessential synonym for Myofunctional Therapy; other colleagues have developed a sort of love-hate relationship. It should be stated that a rubber ringlet in the human mouth is not physiologic. But, as we, in a multitude of exercises do not get along without a REMINDER (see there) it may well be expedient and useful at the same time to fall back in those aiding devices in suitable situations. Its only task will be to set an adequate (foreign body) stimulus at a marked location and defined opportunity.

Swallowing does happen frequently so that our patients put on a rice grain or a slice of a raisin. Through that positioning of the object firstly a physiological surface sensibility of the tongue will be induced. The previously by the PROVE-THE-POINT habituate POINT should now be reached precisely with the object (Orientation). This requires a balanced Tactile Kinaesthesia combined with the Stereognosis as well concerning the ring/object as the tongue body and tongue tip in relation to the oral cavity (Autostereognosis, Extrinsic Stereognosis). By the more and more prolonged holding of the ring on the SPOT the respective musculature gets eutonized (reinforcement with Hypotone, relaxation with Hypermotility).

Finally a long-term training gains a habituation which may be carried on in the ,L’-POSITION. By this the step from the manipulated feed-back to a bio-feedback would be obtained.

In the phase of tongue-tip training in the total therapy course this exercise may be installed as with the UNIT CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM (see there) or by the principal of INCREASE-ARRANGEMENT  (see there) as described in the chapter (last paragraph) TONGUE-TIP-ORIENTATION

Instructions:

This application will train the correct baseline position of the tongue. Later on it will become the ,L’-POSITION. The mouth opens wide. The tongue-tip appears in the opening. It principally avoids the contact with its vicinity. With the help of the handmirror an ELASTIC (the small rubber ringlet) now is placed like a crown on the middle of the very tip of the tongue. Next the tongue carries the ELASTIC up to the POINT, to the little gummy lump right in the middle behind the upper incisors. Don’t touch the teeth!

There is no “back to the start position” for this exercise as this position is the very startposition of the tongue. And this is the reason why the training instruction: As often as possible over the day: Do the RING-LOCK-UP!

If you want to speak just push the ELASTIC into your cheek like a chewing gum and afterwards you just set it back on the POINT. By the way, the tongue will have to learn this posture so well that it will, later on, without a ring and without consideration constantly occupy this seat!