Posted by John Concrane on January 20, 2020 in Health
Dysphagia diagnostics and treatments provider is the issue of the day. Oropharyngeal dysphagia can also be caused by esophageal cancer and head or neck cancer. It may be caused by an obstruction in the upper throat, pharynx, or pharyngeal pouches that collect food. Esophageal dysphagia is the feeling that something is stuck in your throat. This condition is caused by: spasms in the lower esophagus, such as diffuse spasms or the inability of the esophageal sphincter to relax, tightness in the lower esophagus due to an intermittent narrowing of the esophageal ring, narrowing of the esophagus from growths or scarring.
Specific volumes of food per swallow may result in faster pharyngeal swallow responses. Clinicians modify the bolus size (i.e., bigger/smaller bolus amounts), particularly for patients that require a greater volume to adequately stimulate a swallow response or for patients that require multiple swallows per bolus. Patients may also require cuing and assistance to maintain an appropriate rate during meals. Impulsivity and/or decreased initiation are examples of cognitive deficits evident across a number of disorders that may affect a patient’s pace during meals. Postural techniques redirect the movement of the bolus in the oral cavity and pharynx and modify pharyngeal dimensions in a systematic way. Postural techniques may be appropriate to use with patients with neurological impairments, head and neck cancer resections, and other structure damage. Postural techniques may be used in patients of all ages. Examples of postural techniques include the following: Chin-down posture —the chin is tucked down toward the neck during the swallow, which may bring the tongue base closer to the posterior pharyngeal wall, narrow the opening to the airway, and widen the vallecular space. Find more info at South Louisiana Swallowing Diagnostics.
Dysphagia means difficulty with chewing or swallowing food or liquid. The dysphagia diet covers 5 levels for difficulty in swallowing. To understand how this might happen, it is important to know something about how swallowing occurs. First, food must be chewed thoroughly. Then it is moved to the back of the mouth by tightening the cheek muscles and pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth. From this point on the process becomes automatic — it is a reflex that people do not actively control. In “rapid- fire” succession, the soft palate closes the nasal airway to prevent food from backing into it, the airway into the lungs is closed, and the esophagus (food pipe) relaxes allowing food and liquid to enter it. The muscular esophagus then contracts in a wave-like action, sweeping the food along into the stomach.
As South Louisiana’s only mobile swallowing diagnostics service provider, we’re working hard to ensure our company reaches as many patients and clinicians as possible. In addition to presenting at multiple state conferences and hosting several Continuing Education (CEU) events in the New Orleans area every year, our owner works tirelessly to ensure our team is speed on the current research. We’re happy to work with your facility to offer educational sessions to your staff members. Find extra info on dysphagiainmotion.com.