HOLD-THE STRAW

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

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An exercise for strengthening the Orbicularis for flaccid lips and an insufficient Oral Fissure closure (Anatomy: Area I, 4, Page 05).

Contents:

Manipulated hold-exercise with play component.

Materials:

Drinking straw.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Optional  STRETCHING (see there)

-Starting position:  ,M’-POSITION.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 The drinking straw is held by the lips at its furthest end centrically or in case laterally (see “Discussion”) as when drinking through it.

To avoid the externally not noticeable clamping by the teeth they should be occluded before.

-2 Count to a preset number while holding the straw.

-3 Stepping up efforts by the variations described in “Discussion”.

-Timing: One sequence is given by holding and counting to, for example, twenty. Several sequences may form one series.

Characteristics:

Hold-exercise, Statomotor, Tone raising, Motivation/Play-exercise, (Coordination, Air-stream exercise.

Remarks:

Wit an incompetent mouth slit closure it should preferably be regarded the Mentalis not spasmodically pushing up the lower mouth region to shut the Rima Oris; in certain cases stretching exercise will have to be prefixed.

Discussion:

To specify the difference between the exercises HOLD-A-MATCH and the here discussed HOLD-A-STRAW: With the former the device is taken up between the lips transversally while with the latter it is held sagittal as when drinking through it.

If the mouth slit closure is hindered unilaterally or not practicable due to a texture incompetency the exercise may, as well, be carried out on one side. For the first case there will be an alternating practicing between the sound and the ill side. In the second case the straw will at first be caught at a site where the slit closure just will function to hold on; in the course of therapy / texture stretching the straw will, then, slip more and more towards the middle point.

The exercise may be built up by additional variations:

-          A lightweight paper tube with one side open is slid over the straw and shot off with a plosive pant.

-          This may as well be executed with a tiny paper ball having been stuffed into the straw. By these procedures the exercise gains motivative contents and may also bee used for an airway monitoring.

-          To put a higher challenge upon the holding strength of the lips a paper slider or clip can be set upon the straw held between the lips – in more or less distance to the mouth according to the requirements of exposure. In the exercise HOLD-A-MATCH the exertion, in comparison, is smaller. Variation possibilities are not given in this case though the tongue position will be respected in its posture, this will make the exercise HOLD-A-MATCH suitable to be positioned in front of the here discussed one.

Instructions:

If the lips shall get stronger we will have to make them practice.

A drinking straw will be helpful. It is held in front of the lips in just the distance for them to catch it. Sometimes it works better to catch the straw a bit more with the side more to the corner of the mouth; later on it will also work more to the middle of the lips. But do never catch it with the teeth!

To gain more strength in your lip muscles you may set a weight on the straw – as we have trained it.

To let the mouth exercise puffing out air there is the funny game of shooting which we should have also tried together, a tiny paper pellet stuffed into the free end of the straw is blown out with a puff.

Mind how often you shall repeat!