TONOMETER EXERCISES

Myofunktional Exercise  Collect ion

Application:

use link to TONOMETER-Chapter

The exercises discussed in this chapter are no special ones but this is about a special application of commonly used training methods using a special diagnostic and training apparatus, the Function Tonometer. A special description of material and methods can be viewed on the respective page of this website under Myofunctional Diagnostics, Special Catalogue Of "Diagnostic Exercises".

Through the measuring methodology the exercises can be helpful within treatment on three occasions:

A in Diagnostics, B in the application of exercises and C for the documentation of treatment progress.

A. For diagnostic purposes the patient will be informed in a short form about the actions to be performed.  After a possible test run the measuring is carried out and the result recorded. This will stand for the diagnostic opening measurement result.

B. For the practicing a certain desired value is prefixed by adjusting the red drag pointer on the measuring scale which is aimed at in the training. This value can be adapted to the state of training.

In these cases primarily a low one is set up and later on during the course of therapy raised to the desired level.

C. For documentation the drag pointer is set to zero, the test exercise carried out and the final position of the drag pointer read and recorded.

As target muscles generally the following regions are considered:

1. Musculature (Perioral Mm.),

2.Cheek musculature and

3. Velum and pharyngeal closure.

In a targeted procedure even the muscles of the Oral Diaphragm can be influenced.

The musculature can be accessed in every sector, as well in the static (Hold-) mode as in the kinetic. As described in the chapters of the respective exercises for this purpose specially timed exercise series are composed.

To these also belong the CHANGING EXERCISE

and ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE as well as UNILATERAL EXERCISE

 (see special chapter).

Contents:

The each time gained muscle tone is reported on the scale of the Tonometer. With muscular power an air pressure is produced respectively gained which is shown in a Millibar scale.

Materials:

Tonometer.

Procedure:

A. In the state of diagnostic commonly the action to be performed is precisely explained or demonstrated; possibly the carry-out may briefly be demonstrated, a repeated practicing should here be omitted as not to manipulate the original starting value.

B. In training the carry-out of the exercise should primarily be practiced without the device.

If the closure of mouth slit or pharynx are textural impossible in a preceding phase the tissue accommodation has to be gained.

-Starting position: Generally one hand will hold the “straw” at the flexible connection tube catching it centred with the lips.

The hand holds the instrument at its handle to have the reading scale within the viewing range.

An exception would be the practicing of the cheek (mouth base) or pharynx musculature.

In this case the “Straw” is held against the lips in a way that two fingers (above and below) simultaneously help to support the lip closure.

In this manner a muscle tonicity can be created and measured independent from that lip muscle tone and thus being bigger then that.

- Step-by-step-description:

For TONOMETER EXERCISES common  MFT-exercises are applied which therefore are also applicable without the instrument. The descriptions are the same as for the respective single exercises – about this see the following exercise list.

-Timing: The time course is oriented at the exercise description of the particular applied exercise.

Characteristics:

Motivation, Information, Control, (Documentation).

Remarks:

See specific exercise.

Generally may be remarked that a relative measuring makes sense if initial data are used for comparison in the progress of treatment.

A fundamental or general comparing evaluation between patients seems rather questionable.

Despite being easily manageable it remains the question about its usefulness. Muscle tonicity is a. individual, b. significant only in comparison with the antagonistic forces!

Discussion:

(Here for the TONOMETERnot as the diagnostic but the training device).

The exercises summed up in the list below are primarily practiced without using the TONOMETER.

In the follow up step it is most practical to operate with the mouth piece only not using the device, just to have the patient get used to holding the “straw” between the lips during practicing.

The free end of the mouthpiece in this case is shut ( melted sealed over a flame):

As the next step would follow the connecting to the instrument and after some practicing the reading of the noting of the value.

LIST OF EXERCISES

BALLOON:

A large bandwidth of therapeutic effects can be gained by having these exercises carried out in all their variation possibilities (see there) under the use of the Tonometer.

DIAGNOSTIC EXERCISES:

In the respective chapters and under the paragraph for the carry-out of the particular exercise an explanation is given about which muscle fibre tracks the individual exercise is addressing.

BLOW THE  STRAW:

This exercise together with the  BALLOON:exercise

may be seen as the basis for the TONOMETER EXERCISES Practicing these exercises does perhaps mean to abstain from the continuous air stream flow.

LIP-CLOSURE exercises:

Some of these exercises can be carried out also under the use of the instrument. So it may, for example, be prescribed for the exercises ,O’-EXERCISE, CHERRY MOUTH, TRUNK-EXERCISE, DUCKBILL. TIED-UP SACK and similar exercises to maintain a predefined air pressure.  This will increase the intensity of the respective exercise with the tonicity under control.

,P-P-P’-EXERCISE:

In this the exercise the described short air blast will be blown into the ‘straw’ while it is set down to let the pointer jump up as rapidly as possible in the way of ‘The High Striker’.

ALTERNATIVE EXERCISE

A special significance gets the variation of the BALLOON exercise with Tonometer use within this application field if a tonicity deficit exists in one cheek side. Here, then, it is possible to, monitored, rehearse a collateral equal tone.

Instructions: