Posted by Amelia Whitehart on January 23, 2020 in Education
Swallowing disorders, diagnostics and solutions is the subject for this post. Swallowing difficulty is the inability to swallow foods or liquids with ease. People who have a hard time swallowing may choke on their food or liquid when trying to swallow. Dysphagia is a another medical name for difficulty swallowing. This symptom isn’t always indicative of a medical condition. In fact, this condition may be temporary and go away on its own.
The body of literature about electrical stimulation for swallowing is growing, and additional studies are underway to further the knowledge about this technique and its implications for dysphagia treatment. Electrical stimulation is promoted as a treatment technique for speech and/or swallowing disorders that uses an electrical current to stimulate the nerves either superficially via the skin or directly into the muscle in order to stimulate the peripheral nerve. Electrical stimulation for swallowing is intended to strengthen the muscles that move the larynx up and forward during swallow function. Patients may benefit from the use of specific equipment/utensils to facilitate swallow function. A patient can use utensils to bypass specific phases of the swallow, to control for bolus size, or to facilitate oral control of the bolus. SLPs collaborate with other team members in identifying and implementing use of adaptive equipment. Read additional info at Dysphagia in Motion.
Oropharyngeal dysphagia involves difficulty moving food to the back of the mouth and starting the swallowing process. This type of dysphagia can result from various nerve or brain disorders such as stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, cancer of the neck or throat, a blow to the brain or neck, or even dental disorders. Depending on the cause, symptoms may include drooling, choking, coughing during or after meals, pocketing of food between the teeth and cheeks, gurgly voice quality, inability to suck from a straw, nasal regurgitation (food backing into the nasal passage), chronic respiratory infection, or weight loss. Liquids are usually more of a problem in oropharyngeal dysphagia.
Dysphagia among hospitalized patients (particularly the elderly) not only lengthens hospital stays and increases the risk of dying, but also carries significant economic burdens. Research shows that hospital and rehab stays among patients with difficulty swallowing were almost double that of patients without dysphagia – with an estimated cost per year topping $547 billion (Altman K, et al., 2010). We would like to help reduce some of these costs by establishing programs or procedures for your facility that works best for your patients AND your team. Discover more details on https://www.dysphagiainmotion.com/.