NOSEWRINKLING

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

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This exercise is designed for mouth-breathers (OMP-Syndrom [Open Mouth Position] ) which are “not aware of” their nose. In fact an approach can be made with getting solely the alae nasi to go up and down, however it might be advisable in some special cases to get all nose muscles tensed at the beginning just to mediate a body sensation for the nose. (Anatomy: I/1, Page 3 u.4)

Contents:

Controlled motion exercise for a “neglected” neuromotoric area.

Materials:

Materials are not required. As an aids and appliances a scent, aromatic substance will serve well for the patient to smell at.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: (Here attest may work well:

A mirror is held under the nose just in font of the nostrils. The patient will, then, exhale – as effectively as possible – through the nose. The way the mirror glass gets fogged, under which nostril and how much, will now be diagnosable. The test should be repeated during the course of treatment to show any advancement.

-Starting position: Not particularly prescribed; the rest position would be suitable.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 For an instruction the patient watches the therapist or an assistant demonstrating the movement desired. Next, with the help of a hand mirror under self-control the observed movement is tried to be imitated. To illustrate the wanted movement verbally there are terms available like (the title) wrinkling the nose or sniffing, flare the nostrils. With the scent mentioned an additional help can be offered.

-2 The step sequence is a rapid up and down where initially a certain accompanying movement of the upper lip should be tolerated.

-Timing: With the up and down a swift sequence is created filling a sequence of up to twenty actions.  With this several sequences may be put together to build up a series.

Characteristics:

Rather crude motoric, kinaesthesia, motility (mobility and organ stereognosis).

Remarks:

In complicated cases a specialist inspection (otolaryngological) should clear up the principal patency of the nasal airway. Next the patient should learn the REST POSITION which should be held up during practicing. At the beginning even the slightest movement of the aleae nasi should be well received and valued.

Discussion:

Among the different types of mouth-breathers there are to be seen those who show a notably small body of the nose. When asked to “flare the nostrils” or to sniff the nose a grave limitation of the mobility is evident and motility will even less be noticed.

Therefore the prescribed airway training with the current exercise will principally have to direct the conscious of the patient towards this part of the body, the target region. It will become evident that the patient by the feeling to be able to open up the nose consciously and actively will get the impression to be able to inhale much better through his nose newly.

Instructions:

You can move your nose! Not only the elephant with its big long nose can do it.

The rabbit does it and the camel in the zoo can do it too. The nose can be snapped shut (like a seal), too, if something has a bad smell, and it can be opened wide with a deep inhaling – for example if something has a lovely fragrance. This becomes especially important if you have been used to breathe solely through your mouth lately which is known to be quite unwholesome because of the resulting colds.

That is why we are making a work-out.

And that is why you sit down in front of a mirror and try to wrinkle your nose. Look closely into the mirror, watch yourself and try hard. Later on the nose wings go up and down, the nose down and up; at first the upper lip may be moving a little, too. Later the lips will have to stay closed. Finally you can try: Nose up – breathe in deeply – nose down – exhale. Wrinkle the nose. An again: Nose up – breathe in deeply – nose down – exhale and so on, twenty times.