TONGUE STROKING

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

to enlarge klick picture

The exercise is prescribed for the sensitation of the border of the tongue, presumably, if lateral tongue problems as tongue pressing or biting on are diagnosed. The patient will realize in an initial pre-practice how the tongue muscles will have to behave (Anatomy: Area II, B, Page 21).

Contents:

Manipulated generating of a reflex to trigger the contraction of unattended muscle tracks.

Materials:

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Not requested, possible TONGUE-TIP-ORIENTATION.

-Starting position: (Initial position to be adopted.)

- Step-by-step-Description:

-1 The mouth is opened wit a slightly outstretched tongue which will have to be kept as slim as possible.

The patient is watching the procedure in the hand mirror.

-2 The wooden spatula (or the brush) is led from as far retral as possible in a stroking manner along the length of the tongue border.

Under the influence of the foreign-body contact the spatula will retract from the spatula. The procedure will be repeated so often till the effect is clearly recognisably gained  

-Timing:  The method may be carried out each time at the beginning of a session and before the practicing of other exercises. A special timing is not provided.

Characteristics:

Manipulation, Sensitivity, Instruction, Reflex Automatism.

Remarks:

Should the exercise have its effect in the follow it should be worked towards a stable effect with respective conscient exercises; consensual muscle reactions are not implicitly pertinent to prosecute a successful Myofunctional Therapy and to adjust complex movement sequences sustainably but are indeed suitable as a primary measure for nerve pathway restorations in case of nerve lesions.

Discussion:

For an induced slim shaping of the tongue body a series of exercises is advisable such as are presented in the chapter TONGUE EXERCISES and TONGUE COINTACTS. There are also mentioned further materials as are cited in literature for the stroking of the tongue or as they are found in literature for stimulating of its surface for the triggering of the retraction reflex (toothbrush, furry rug). These methods alone are not sufficient. It has to be accomplished to gain a consciously induced narrow-shaping of the tongue. So the here discussed and similar exercises can only be seen as pre phases which have to be succeeded by active MFT-exercises as, for example, DRAW-BACK, PODGY TONGUE- SLIM TONGUE , SLENDER TONGUE. (See respective chapters).

With the help of the hand mirror control the patient experiences the contraction of the tongue body not being practicable by him himself purposefully. At the same time a sensitation of the tongue border and an orientation is affected. The exercise, then, may be followed by TONGUE CONTACTS. The training instructions should only be handed out to patients who will ensure an intelligent cooperation. Generally this measure should only be carried out by the therapist.

Instructions:

To make the tongue realise that it shall not “diffluence” in the mouth we will use its sensitivity. Let us start with something simple as the teeth brushing.

Open your mouth, the tongue stuck out slightly and now glide along the tongue border softly so as brushing it also, cautiously.

This the tongue does not like so very much and it makes it self quite compact and slim to evade the brush.

And just that we wanted to achieve!

So, every time with teethbrushing (or more often) practice “slimming” with your tongue.