EAT-(AND DRINK-)EXERCISE

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

The linked illustration is meant as a memo for the patients

The EAT-(AND DRINK-) Exercises serve to habituate the newly learned swallow reflex in daily life. (Anatomy: 1, 3, 6, Page 25a).

Contents:

The conscious recalling of the acquired during food intake at the daily meals is practiced.

Materials:

The daily meals.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises:

 As a direct pre-exercise may facultatively be recommended a previously arranged variation of the ,1-2-3'-EXERCISEs (see there). Generally all exercises for the organization of the swallow reflex have to be mastered and carried out well.

-Starting position:

Unspecific. The patient should always remember never to let the tongue rush forward when a cup or cutlery is nearing the lips (pro- respectively extroversion of the tongue), tip to the point!

- Step-by-step-Description:

The sequence of steps depends on the type of variation of the ,1-2-3'-EXERCISE prescribed by the therapist.

- Timing:

The primary contents of these  exercise(s)  are their time sequence over several weeks; a schedule might be put up as follows (in this connection see annotations in paragraph “Discussion”):

1. week take one third of solid food in the way of the ,1-2-3'-EXERCISE variation recommended.

2. week take two thirds of solid food, one third of beverage.

3. week take three thirds of solid food, two thirds of beverage.

4. week take three thirds of solid food, three thirds of beverage.

It is recommendable to position some MEMO near the dish to help remember the project.

Characteristics:

Reflex training, motivation, habituation.

Remarks:

Eat- and drink exercises are rather mental training; the muscular succession will have to function within the reflex chain.

Discussion:

In the above drafted plan all three main menus are included. The planning, though, should regard the daily schedule of the patient. Schoolchildren might have a plan for noon and night meals, for working people only dinner would stand at disposition. The respective planning would be prolonged in those cases for one, two weeks.

Literature partially recommends raising the degree of difficulty by supporting the correct swallow mode with putting elastics on the tongue. As mentioned in chapter ELASTIC EXERCISES in the paragraph “Discussion” the pros and contras of the use of elastics with SWALLOW REFLEX EXERCISES should have a thorough weighing against each other.  The elastic in this role should be classed as belonging to the REMINDERs same as with the LIPS OPEN which may also be used here.

Further recommendations (M. HANSON) recommend to raise the consistency of the foodstuff slowly as, for example, from soft (flummery) to mushy (potato mash) to solid food.

Additionally instructions should be given to mind when introducing the food into the mouth firstly the tongue may not be pushed further rostrally then up to the POINT, secondly, not allow the tongue to make sweeping motions to clean up the cavum oris after the swallow. These details may well be built in to the prescribed variation of the ,1-2-3'-EXERCISE which is destined to rule the swallow.