Swallowing and the attitude of the neck/body

van de Rakt, Jan and Mccarthy-Grunwald, Steven ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4873-5068 (2021) Swallowing and the attitude of the neck/body. Italian Journal of Sports Rehabilitation and Posturology, 8 (17). pp. 1745-1783.

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Abstract

What has swallowing to do with the trunk position and the muscle pattern such as the diagonals of our body? Severe stroke patient have sometimes an damage in the greater swallowing center and must try the other smaller to activate to restore an swallowing function. This group of stroke patient has often balance problems in the sitting position even sometimes with the lying position and will use even the power of the neck to correct there position. When the situation was so very difficult the back diagonal will ask for an neck extension to fixated the upper body. The lower body will than have two extension synergy that fixated the leg against each other but that gives not the best balance , only an stabilization of the body.. The back diagonal than are very small, not from hip (trochanter major) to the shoulder but from hip (trochanter minor) to the shoulder blade inside and now is the neck-activity very important for trunk stabilization. The angle in the back diagonal on pelvis level is than very great and the tone is concentrated around the spine. By an stroke patient will be always an asymmetrical tone and that can give an fixed head position in lateroflexion /rotation and extension even caused an static general reaction (A.T.N.R.) but also an asymmetrical muscle tone on the front of the neck and that can cause an deviation of the tongue bone and makes swallowing impossible. Research what the relation is between head position and swallowing is available for older with dementia, and for stroke /brain-damage. In the Nursing Home “Waelwick “we have special interest in this part of trunk stabilization, transfers and swallowing possibilities with an very clear goal: “The head position is very important to restore the swallowing possibilities and must therefore be no part of the stabilization when person sit or lie in bed, even the transfers must done without an extreme neck extension. That is not only the task of the speech therapist or the nurse but that must be teamwork !!

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Italian Journal of Sports Rehabilitation and Posturology
Publisher:	Societcientifica Riabilitazione e Posturologia dello Sport
ISSN:	2385-1988
Departments:	Academic Departments > Nursing, Health & Professional Practice (NHPP)
Additional Information:	Steve McCarthy-Grunwald MSc BSc RMN is Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing with Dementia Specialty, University of Cumbria, UK.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	25 Apr 2019 09:38
Last Modified:	13 Jan 2024 11:31
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/4664

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