TONGUE EXERCISES

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

no illustration

Tongue problems make up a great part of the MFT-cases. This is the reason why from literature and practice many exercises on this matter are available and will be summarized in this chapter to give a better overview and make searching easier.

The application of the tongue exercises generally would need no explaining words except the classification used here ( see paragraph “Discussion”).

Contents:

See short description below in the “List of Exercises”.

Materials:

Exercise specific.

Procedure:

- Previous exercises: Are contained in the program respectively the basic positions (BASIC-,

SITTING-, REST-POSITION) are used.

-Starting position: See above.

- Step-by-step-description:

-1 Sensitation and Orientation

-2 Standby Position, Rest Position.

-3 Tonicity correction (Eutonization)

-4 Fill up Mobility Frame

-5 Adjust function movements

-6 Coordination and Reflexreconstruction

-7 Habituation

This pattern may as well be put up for a:

- Timing in planning the overall training course.

Characteristics:

The tongue exercises in their multitude enclose the entire palette of characteristics; basically in the final, phase of the training it leads to a habituation of the swallow reflex: special notice should be given to the formation of the phonation of the T and D for the rostral part, L for the medial and G and K for the retral part of the tongue.

Remarks:

In respect of the multitude and special objectives of the tongue exercises an extremely precise diagnosis is indeed necessary. This is complicated by the difficulty to make the tongue position visible. The attempts to use imaging techniques are stretching from colour Palatography over ultrasound application and X-ray (less recommendable) to magnetic resonance imaging. A definite position will hardly be identified with this; pictures of the textures during functional movements till now are (apart from the X-ray methods) indeed quite insufficient. So there is left only the possibility to work out the single movements to perfection with their succeeding Coordination and Habituation.

Discussion:

According to its anatomical structure the tongue musculature can be classified in as extrinsic and front margin intrinsic type. (Anatomy: Area II, Page 18 & Img.) In respect of its construction  from Aponeurosis and Septum (Page 19) a right and a left half are distinguished. It shows a body (with a quite important) back and a border region and its has a tongue tip (which is said to originally be a rather an edge) and the root of the tongue. The latter might have been the crucial factor for us to see a middle part between tip and root which, thus, leads to a crosswise division into three thirds anatomically as therapeutically – a pretty nonphysiological and hopefully not deceptive nomenclature which lead to the cataloguing in the following list of quoted tongue exercises. Some of the exercises are cited several times according to their different application.

                 Exercises for the first (rostral) tongue third

are summarized in the chapter TONGUE-TIP-ORIENTATION ; as Orientation, in deed, is the main task in view of the fist third:

TONGUE STORY, DRIVING SEAT, PROVE-THE-POINT, TONGUE-PLOP, FROZEN PLOP, RING LOCKER , LICK, WAG, TONGUE CLICK, STICKY FLAP,

additionally:

GUESS-THE-FORM                         Hetero stereognosis, Tactile Kinaesthetics

HOLD-AND-PULL                           fixing tip  against caudal pull

HOLD A MATCH                            keeping the tip up

LICK                                                   gustatorically manipulated cranioversion

DIMPLE                                             reflex step exercise

RING LOCKER                                  tactile aesthetically manipulated cranioversion

DRAW-BACK                                  fixing the tip against retral pull

BAGGY TONGUE                             Motility / loosening

SLURP-AND-WALLOW                fixing the tip during function

FROZEN PLOP                                 pseudo-manipulated keeping the POINT

SPATULA PRESSING                     strengthen Elevators, stretching ligament

CHEEKBUMP                                   Auto stereognosis

WATER-RETAINER                       Hold-exercise, DIMPLE

WATER CARRIER                          kinetic exercise, DIMPLE

WATER PUMP                                fine motor skills

WAVING                                          Mobility, Motility, Coordination

WORDEXERCISES 1. THIRD        Coordination, Function

TEETHWIPING                               Mobility, Stereognosis

COUNT-THE-TEETH                      Tactile Aesthetics, Mobility, Area-/Hetero Stereognosis.

             Exercises for the second (middle) tongue third

BAGGY TONGUE                             Motility, Loosening

SLURP-AND-SWALLOW              palatal orienting by function movements

FROZEN PLOP                                  pseudomanipulated palatal orienting

GIDDY-UP'                                         Matility/Aesthetics for the lateral tongue border

HOLD A STICK                                Manipulation with function kinetics for palatal orientation

WORDEXERCISES 2. THIRD         Coordination, Function

TEETHWIPING                                Mobility

TONGUESHAPING                          Manipulated Auto-stereognosis, Orientation

TONGUE CLICK                               Kinetic cranial Orientation

TWO-RING-EXERCISE                   Tactile aesthetic manipulated cranial Orientation

             Exercises for the third (retral) tongue third

SQUEEZE-A-FLAKE                          Sensitation and tone increase, Stretching

,K-K-K’-EXERCISE                            Mobility, Tonicity of tongue root and Diaphragm

DRAW-BACK                                     Tonicity, Hold-Exercise

WORDEXERCISES 3. THIRD            Coordination, Function

Exercises for the complete tongue

THREE-RING-EXERCISE                    Tactile Aesthetic-Manipulated Cranial Orientation

PODGY TONGUE- SLIM TONGUE    Transversal musculature, Mobility

PALATE-SLIDE                                    Retractor and Levator Muscles

STRAW SUCKING                              Extrinsic Muscles and Diaphragma Oris

HOLD-AND-PULL                               Hold and Stretch vertically

BACK-CENTRE-FRONT                     Back of the Tongue Orientation, Sensitation, Organ Stereognosis

WHISTLING KETTLE                          Fine motor-acoustic Retro Orientation

DRAW-BACK                                       Sagittal Stretching

SUCK AND PULL                                 Vertical Stretch

SLENDER TONGUE                              Tone Raising of Transversal Muscles

TIP-PRESSURE                                      Static, Tone Raissing, resp. Sinking

CHEEKBUMP                                         Mobility Frame, extrinsic Musculatur

WAG                                                       Sight Controlled Mobility Exercise

TONGUE CONTACTS                          Tactile Aesthesis, Stereognosis, Tongue Border

TONGUE STRETCHING                       Sight controlled Hold-straining, Transversal Muscul.

TONGUE STROKING                            Triggered Alien Stimulus, Tongue Body Contraction

TONGUE DABBING                              Manipulated Auto-Stereognosis Exercise

Instructions: