MENTALIS STRETCH

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

click picture to enlarge

This exercise is suitable for an incompetent closure of the oral fissure – ‘too short’, spastic or hyperactive (hypertone) Mentalis. It serves well to stretch and loosen the soft tissues of the chin region  (Anatomy: Area I/10,11,12, (13), Page 8 ff.).

Contents:

This is a matter of passive stretching, i.e., a manipulation which is to be carried out as auto-stretching.

Materials:

Facultatively skin ointment or Vaseline as lubricant.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: As the target is an unclenched closure of the rima oris the  ,M’-POSITION might previously be trained or at least be explained.

So, of course, the -

-Starting position: should be this position or “as near as possible” so.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The soft tissues of the chin tip are grasped with the thumb placed under and the middle phalanx of the digit above the tip. The Patient will try to hold thos described starting position as well as possible.

-2 The digit, now, will pull down the tissue from its starting position directly beyond the lower lip with a steady squeeze back towards the thumb gliding downwards. The body of the mandible, meanwhile, does not move. Principally the ,DRAWER-IN’ posture should be sustained and as far as possible the physiological rest position adopted. If this position can not be taken up the mandible will accept the occluding position with moderate force. Especially it should be achieved that no upwards thrust will be opposed to the downwards pulling finger by the chin tip.

The maintenance of the lip closure is achieved by the Orbicularis.

3

  -a  The end position where the thumb and forefinger merely grab the tip of the chin and pull it down is carried on under counting.

  -b As an intensity increase the fingers may slowly loosen the grip where’as the posture obtained is to be perpetuated; this variation is especially suitable as a step in the progressive phase of the work-out for this exercise.

Timing: The training sequence is put together out of the massaging down slipping of the index finger during about three seconds and the position keeping while counting. Case specifically with a textire incompetence the holding may be emphasized when counting up to ten or twenty; with spasms the emphasis should be on the massaging movement and, thus, the procedure be repeated in an appropriate frequency to avoid an additional cramping of the down pulling musculature.

The recommendation of composing a series of sequences will depend on these conditions.

For building up an  ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE

 the counter movement is offered with the ,O’-EXERCISE while the syntropic movement is given with the in contrary kinetic   ,E'-EXERCIS                                                     

Characteristics:

Gross motor skills, static, Mobility, stretching, stretch aid, massaging, manipulation, relaxation.

Remarks:

In case of a hyperactive Mentalis attention should be drawn upon the chin tip not pushing up on contrast to the stretching movement as described above.

Discussion:

In contrary to the  ,E'-EXERCISE where the motion and vigour of the down pulling muscles is strengthened with the manipulation in the discussed exercise any additional muscle tone is as far as possible avoided and the improvement of the tissue stretching promoted. So the exercise is rather static tough not in the actual sense of the holding of an accepted basic position. This component is added when step b is carried out.

Notice should be taken of the different indications given for the practicing of the exercise of a hyperactive Mentalis as well, as the incompetent rima oris closure. In the step description this is pointed to under 3a respectively 3b.

Not rarely both symptoms will show simultaneously what does not realy make the treatment simpler but the choice between step a and b. In that case it would be advisable to alternate within the practicing series from sequence to sequence between step a and b.

In the respective cases the MENTALISMASSAGE (see there) can be combined with the actual one or precede it.

The MENTALIS STRETCH is performed without neuromuscular actions of the patient i.e. purely manipulatoric.

As  pre-exercise  stretching exercises as GORILLA or CHUBBY LIP or the POO-EXERCISE are suitable (see respective chapter).

Instructions:

The mouth optimally is always closed as equired for the ,M’-EXERCISE.

It is important that here no muscle will cramp which is not so very simple and, thus, will have to be practiced.in he following manner:

Grasp the chin with thumb and forefinger.

The thumb grabs under the chin tip while the forefinger lies on the chin from above just belo the lower lip.

The mouth gets closed.

The forefinger, sitting directly beneath the lower lip, now, slowly glides down with slight pressure towards the thumb. The chin, thereby, is pulled downwards.

Do mind that no muscle cramps! Keep the mouth shut.

If agreed upon the index finger stays down to pull on the chin tip for some while.

Repetitions as agreed.