GARGLE

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

klick picture to enlarge

This exercise is reckoned among the BACK-OF-MOUTH-EXERCISES (see REAR ORAL CAVITY). It is brought on with problems auf the retral respiration path control as snoring or sleep apnoe, generally with an insufficient tone and reduced sensitivity an the pharyngeal region. (Anatomy: Area I/3, Page 22).

Contents:

This exercise deals with the familiar  gargling to rinse the pharynx, here with some modifications.

Materials:

A liquid for gargling (the action may as well be carried out with air only – idle-gargling).

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Facultative the  ,K-K-K’ or SNORCEL may be prescribed.

-Starting position:The patient steadily breathing on through the nose opens his mouth. Next he is asked to keep his mouth continually wide open breathing through :

the mouth, then through the nose, the mouth, and so on,  trying to feel precisely the stream of air running this way and that way while, down in the throat the air way is snapped shut and open. The patient is especially made aware of the mode of the air flowing through the oral cavity as to guarantee the succession of the following exercise (see annotations in paragraph “Discussion” and in the patient instruction).

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The patient takes up a spoonful of  liquid  in his mouth.

-2 The head is, at the moment, bent back only slightly. The liquid is kept inside by lowering the oral diaphragm. Breathing, now, goes on by inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth. At this mostly a gargle will arise. This phase may be practiced for some while.

-3 Now the face is gently turned more towards the ceiling the water trickling towards the throat, the breathing mode, in through the nose, out through the mouth, may be maintained but is recommended rather for an advanced stage. Next there is one deep inhalation thereafter the head is inclined backwards and the inhaled air partially blown out gurgling. The head may be tilted forward to inhale again or the liquid is spit out to avoid complications. For variations in the carry-out see paragraph ‘Discussion’.

-Timing:  A particular timing is not prescribed as it results from the execution steps. If one round of gurgling is taken as one sequence, about five sequences may be composed to form one series.

Characteristics:

Sensitation, Organ Stereognosis, Function motor skills, Coordination.

Remarks:

The procedure should be promoted gently and not too fast as a disorder within the neuromuscular coordination of the throat musculature should be presumed. What is primarily important is to mediate to the patient a feeling for his throat before turning towards inducing spatial alterations.

Discussion:

The exercise description is supposing the patient having at least difficulties with the muscle action of gurgling or being not at all able to perform it.

If the exercise is prescribed merely to practise the pharynx musculature the step ‘starting-position’ may be abandoned.

To increase the level of difficulty or to fashion it more diversified gurgling may be varied between strong or slight, more upward towards the cavum oris or deeper downwards or to gurgling with or without sound. Practicing may even be carried out without some liquid imitating it only with air.

If the performing is conducted in form of an ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE  combined with the exercise SNORKEL the patient can be made feeling the difference between deep and high throat musculature.

Instructions:

You gurgle when you have a sore throat, with herbal tea which always tastes so good. It makes the throat heal.

But you can gurgle as well to exercise your throat muscles. That has many benefits. Finally it is important to breathe correctly. The advantages with this are that with correct breathing you will not get a dry mouth that you do not snore at night or wake up because you could not breathe properly, because the throat muscles failed. And that is why it must be practiced step by step according to the following pattern.:

Open your mouth. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. You will feel how in the back a closure gets open and shut – open and shut – open and shut… Exhaling through the mouth at the beginning you say ‘K’.

With the next exhaling you add an ‘rrr’ to the ‘K’. Meaning:  Breathe in through the nose, exhale through the mouth with a ‘Krrr’. This is the beginning of gurgling.

                 Next step: A tablespoon of liquid is taken into the mouth still holding the head upright.

                 Breathe in through the nose, exhale through the mouth with a ‘Krrr’.

 Now the head is tilted slowly backward. Breathe in through the nose, exhale through the mouth with a ‘Krrr’.

Take a deep breath, tilt your head far back and exhale with a ‘Krrrrrr’- there gurgles the water!

Head forward, mouth shut, breathe in through the nose, head back and ‘Krrrrrr’.

If you have mastered this you can as well ply when gurgling. Gurgle with sound or soundless.

Or let the water gurgle more upwards or more downwards.

                 Because the muscle only get trained if you, again and again, utilise them you will have to repeat the gurgle very frequently, in the morning at noon and in the evening. Always several times in a row.

Head forward mouth shut, breathe in through the nose, tilt head back and gurgle, again head forward and so on.

At least ten times in a row or as often as prescribed