MOTIVATION EXERCISES

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

no illustration

This chapter gives a general description of a collective group of exercises and details which are sharing the here described facts.  

This sort of exercises is applied to reinforce the patients in their therapy acceptance.

They are mostly and primarily consisting of a psychic component and moreover additionally of the neuromotor component which implies a muscle action to be executed. Commonly one component will dominate what makes a more precise definition by division into two subgroups necessary.

In the exercises with the dominating muscle action motivation serves for mediating a sense of wellbeing in the case of a correct performance respectively the contrary as in example TEETHCLICKING. In this exercise it will be connoted the appearance of the respective feeling and hence the occurring dysfunction being combined with something nasty (similar also to the exercise SALINEKEEPING).

The other group which accentuates the motivatory component does in comparison to the above mentioned not contain the practicing of a single exercise but generally to follow the therapy. In this connection it may be hinted at the Motivation Concept for a Functional-Therapeutic Treatment in the publication:

Thiele,E.: Planung eines Motivationskonzeptes zur funktionell-therapeutischen Behandlung,

Der Zahnarzt, 30, s.290-292, 356-360, 416, 1986

Thiele,E.: Vom Zungenkämpfer zum Schluckmeister, Trainingsprogramm der Mundmuskelfunktion für Kinder und Jugendliche, Germering, 1988.

In short terms these treatments have to gain that the existing defect will generally be noticed by the patient generating the desire to abandon this disorder (Start Motivation) –

that further an active cooperation during the therapy course will be maintained (Continuity Motivation) –

and that, later on, the acquired skills will be maintained (Follow-up Motivation).

Not each exercise with a motivatory component should specially be counted to the MOTIVATION EXERCISES  - it is valuable for all exercises in Myofunctional Therapy to include such a component.

Some measures, though, as the  SWALLOWPICTURE or CERTIFICATE are in the following text counted among the exercises despite possessing no muscular actions. Those are orientated solely motivatorily but as such not less important or efficient.

An exceptional position under these circumstances are taking in the PLAY or GAME EXERCISES Especially in the course of therapy with patients in the age of infancy they are of great importance in the sense of Therapy Acceptance. So here to a lesser extent the function-therapeutical contents are in demand then some leisure activity during the otherwise strict rules of MFT training. Also in this category of exercises we will find every variation; some exercises accentuate the playful experiencing of the own body, some the cooperation with the therapist, others, again, Sensitation and Orientation and some the carry-out of a desired muscle action in a playful way.

The latter naturally have the greatest function-therapeutic value.

Generally spoken a playful component helps every exercise to a better acceptance.

Some exercises of this category are not represented in a special chapter in this catalogue and, thus, are discussed here at the end of this chapter.

Contents:

The exercises imply procedures, measures and conditions which provoke a positive sensory effect.

This even applies to the exercise TEETHCLICKING with its negative charge where it is felt in a positive way when the certain feeling, the stimulus does not arise.

Materials:

The used aids are exercise specific; they are means which  reinforce the positive or strive averting the negative as, for example:

LICK                                                                                                                - flavouring agents (positive allocation).

SALINEKEEPING                                                                                          - flavouring agents (negative allocation).

BLOW THE  STRAW, BLOW THE FLAKE, NOSEBLOW EXERCISE- Play items and connotations.

TUG-OF-WAR                                                                                               - sport competition possibilities.

CERTIFICATE, SWALLOWPICTURE (but as well field documentations from treatment records as comparative measurements, photos, video clips, jaw models and hand-mirror monitoring)

                                                                                                                           - field documentations.

MEMO (Pictograms, catch words, schedules)                                          - mementos and monitoring devices.

Procedure:

Exercise specific; the motivational content of an exercise is indivisibly linked with it. It is recommendable to work out this aspect in the introduction of the respective exercise as to make this motivational topic synonymous with the exercise for the patient.

Characteristics:

Motivation.

Remarks:

In the above text it has been hinted at that MOTIVATION EXERCISES are aiming at the psychic frame conditions of MFT-training; their application accordingly is therefore flanking to the sensomotor exercises and requires quite some assiduousness in the mental field to support the exercise successfully (also see “Discussion”).

Discussion:

The motivational effects function in different levels.

In the mentioned exercise LICK the unconscious is addressed through a flavouring agent.

This effect may, for example, as well be produced with Hold-exercises when it is mediated to the patient during the initial practicing that the accepted posture will have to be balanced and unstressed as to say pleasant and easily manageable.

It is the level on which the motivation goal lies as well in which the patients will let the required muscle action become habitual. The practicing of habits causes a pleasant feeling. The desired muscle action thus enters unconsciously the beneficial influence of a loop (feed-back circuit).

Exercises like the TONGUE STORY appeal to the intellect.

The patient should conclude that through his successful practicing his personal effect upon his ambience will improve.

For the mental MOTIVATION EXERCISES like the NIGHT SCHEDULE the requirement is to influence and control the unconscious pointedly. The motivational effect is directed towards the mental abilities; thus it should, in deed, be well-matched to the individual capacity but at the same time it should not be disregarded to kindle the individual capabilities in a back-feeding, to school and to upgrade them.

An example for this might be the presentation of the therapeutic progress. The patient notices that the training assiduity may influence the personal appeal and, thus, the own personality in a favourable way.

In the practical application results the following procedure:

A certain exercise from the initially practiced  DIAGNOSTIC EXERCISEN has shown itself as characteristic for the present disorder. This, now, is applied to induce the Start Motivation by confronting the patient visually with the special incompetency (hand-mirror, video sequence, photo).

In contrary to that the correct alternative is demonstrated.

For the Continuity Motivation the progress signs may be made comprehensible.

Here the feed-back effect would take effect that the patient sees the gained conditions as positive coupling it with a well-feeling. He will strive to create and maintain this feeling.