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Essay On Head And Head Flexion

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Several individuals reported success when putting a pill into their mouth, taking a sip of water, tilting their head down then swallowing. This technique is commonly referred to as a chin tuck or chin down position, depending on the literature and degree of neck and head flexion (Leigh et al., 2015; Corbin-Lewis & Liss, 2015; Fraser & Steele, 2012; Okada et al., 2007). However, these terms have been and continue to be used interchangeably (Steele, Hung, Sejdik, Chau, & Fraser, 2011; Okada et al., 2007). This strategy changes the pharyngeal dimensions for bolus direction, but not the physiology of the swallow (Saconato, Chiari, Lederman, & Rebelo Gonçalves, 2016). It has been used to minimize the amount of aspiration for individuals with a …show more content…

However, this strategy should be considered on a case-by-case basis, where a VFSS should be utilized to determine if it the safest way for pill swallowing. The second tip is clinically known as the tongue-hold maneuver. It is described as comfortably holding the tongue tip between the central incisors during a swallow (Hammer, Jones, Mielens, Kim, & McCulloch, 2014; Doeltgen, Witte, Gumbley, & Huckabee, 2009). It is used as a way to increase pharyngeal wall movement through “increased contraction of the superior pharyngeal constrictor” during the pharyngeal stage of the swallow (Hammer et al., 2014, p. 564; Fujiu-Kurachi et al., 2014). It encourages an increase in anterior bulging on the posterior pharyngeal wall (PPW) due to the distance between the PPW and the posterior tongue (Fujiu-Kurachi et al., 2014). The base of the tongue is connected to structures on the pharyngeal wall through muscles, nerves, and the hyoid bone, where its continuous anterior movement is thought to strengthen the movement of the middle and superior constrictors (Doeltgen et al., 2009). It was found that the tongue-hold maneuver compared to a control swallow demonstrates less pharyngeal pressure in both the oropharynx and hypopharynx due to limited posterior movement of

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