DOGS GROWL

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

to enlarge cklick picture

see also animation

This exercise may be applied to encourage the action tone, mobility and motility of the superior “wheel spoke musculature” which leads into the Orbicularis from above in a rather medial direction and acts as an upper lip lifter. Anatomy: Area I, Page 03 (et sequ.). See annotations in paragraph „Discussion“.

The exercise can be used as a UNILATERAL EXERCISE under respective conditions. With a flabby upper lip the basic tone will be strengthened (in respect of the circular muscle tracks of the mouth slot constrictors see also short description in the list of exercises in chapter ORBICULARIS-EXERCISES

and comment in paragraph “Discussion”. Because of the opposing tendency of the movement direction this exercise may be helpful against nibbling at or sucking in of the upper lip.

Contents:

The rather gross motor exercise for the lifting up of the upper lip may be applied in both modi – at one hand as static respectively hold-exercise, at the other hand as a kinetic tone and motility increasing version.

Materials:

Not required.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: In case of  the loss of motor skills as a first step a manual manipulation i.e. pushing of the soft tissue in the direction desired should be applied as sort of support for the first phase being deployed by the therapist to, later on , being taken over by the patient himself.

A stand-by position like ,L-M’, ,M’ or the RESTPOSITION is advisable.

-Starting position: One of the positions from the pre-exercise.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The patient tries to mimic the facial expression of dog growlingly showing its teeth (the upper incisors). As a motivation children may additionally growl while practicing. In the beginning a finger may help prod upwards.

-2 After a short stop the starting position is regained followed by another teeth baring.

-2b The position is kept under counting.

-Timing: In mode a ( kinetic) the practicing sequence by the alternating lifting and lowering gets a frequency beat which should be measured in a rhythm of a second.

One sequence may consist of ten actions.

Optionally several sequences may be joined together or, to form an ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE, the BABBLE may be inserted.

Alternative exercises in the manner of a counteracting direction of traction would, for example, be the ,O’-EXERCISE and the like (in this context see ORBICULARIS EXERCISES).

Characteristics:

Tone raising; mobility, under 2a motility.

Remarks:

This exercise will mainly be applied when paralytic

symptoms in the perioral musculature are diagnosable (mostly used as UNILATERAL EXERCISES)  – progress mostly is laborious).

Discussion:

The muscle tracks running in through a rather laterally oblique direction (Anatomy: Area I/ 3, 6, 7, 8, 9; page 03) are touched upon in exercise CYNICAL SMILE. In contrary the NOSE TURN-UP is focussing on the muscles I/1 und 3. The sophistication of these exercises in lifting the upper lip should as well be taken into account in the precision of the carry-out.

Exercises such as the combination ,O’-EXERCISE – CHERRY MOUTH – TRUNK or the DUCKBILL or TIED-UP SACK are, in contrary to the measures described priorly, aiming at the Orbicularis tracks acting as moth constrictors.

The current exercise, in connection with the tendency to show a moue (s duck’s bill, dummy mouth) may be combined with the ,E’-EXERCISE whereas both will be carried out in the static mode.

Instructions:

Anyway: Lift your upper lip and show your teeth, bare them, as people say. You better sit down in front of a mirror to control precisely the movement of your lips.

Of course you may additionally growl if just no one is in ear shot.

If the upper lip is not so easily responding you may in the beginning help it a bit by pushing up the part of the upper lip which is too lazily moving. This will help it. Later on it should, of course, work without the finger. If initially not really much is happening, never mind. Just keep on looking into the mirror and try again and again to lift up your lip. The more often you lift up, pause, lift, pause the better the lifting will get. Looking closely into the mirror you will recognize even the faintest twitch. And if it is running fairly well go on and pull up the lip with all your power and start counting. Hold the upper lip up and count to ten. Then comes a break. Repeat as often as we have fixed but at least ten times. During the break you should hold the lip in ‘normal’ position which means in the ,L-M’-POSITION.