Food is processed in the mouth to the point where it is safe to swallow, and for most foods this includes chewing. Food or liquid needs to maneuver to the back of the mouth and down the pharynx, ready to pass into the esophagus. This causes the area around the larynx (the ‘voice box’) to rise. Everything is connected and protected by muscles and ligaments. Website design By BotEap.comIf you want to appreciate this movement, feel your larynx as you swallow. Website design By BotEap.comAs the larynx rises, it pulls up a small flap of skin called the epiglottis that covers the airways. The airways are also protected by the closing vocal cords and the false vocal cords above them, so there are normally three layers of airway protection. Website design By BotEap.comAs the airway is covered, the entrance to the esophagus (the sphincter) opens and food is quickly drawn into the opening. From there, the esophagus moves the food down to the stomach, in a movement over which we have no control, by gravity. Website design By BotEap.comThen the esophageal sphincter closes and the airways open, and breathing continues. Website design By BotEap.comEveryone knows the feeling that something is going the wrong way. We can usually cough and babble until we get rid of whatever it is. This is fortunate, because food eaten incorrectly can cause choking, and fluid in the airways or lungs can cause chest infections and even pneumonia. If food or liquid enters the larynx and enters the airways, this is called aspiration. Website design By BotEap.comAll sorts of things can go wrong with swallowing. Because it is a complex and finely tuned action, even a small amount of coordination difficulty can cause a problem. Other problems arise when swallowing is not initiated (started), or the airway is not covered, or is not covered quickly and completely. If food or liquid remains in the pharynx after swallowing, it can slip into the airway seconds later when we breathe or speak. Website design By BotEap.comSometimes babies can have difficulty swallowing from birth. Or they may have a disease of some kind that requires an alternative way of feeding, and swallowing can be established later if possible. During most of life, swallowing difficulties occur due to an accident or illness, such as a traumatic brain injury or a thyroid deficiency). In older people, swallowing is more frequent, particularly when there is an illness or people are not feeling well. Website design By BotEap.comOften after surgery, such as fracture repair, older people are particularly vulnerable. In ‘the old days’, most people used to die after a hip fracture, for example, because they inhaled fluid that caused pneumonia. In addition to dealing with pain and having poor mobility, not being able to sit up straight, people are often well medicated at this time and this makes the brain less able to make a motor program and carry it out accurately. Website design By BotEap.comOlder people who are unwell are at high risk for dysphagia. The elderly in residential facilities or nursing homes, for example, who often have limited mobility and communication skills, should be closely monitored for swallowing difficulties. Website design By BotEap.comThe physician responsible for diagnosing and managing dysphagia is a speech pathologist. A speech pathologist can assess, monitor, and rehabilitate swallowing. Website design By BotEap.comA speech pathologist may use a combination of resources, depending on the technology available. In some cases, patients may have access to a fiberoptic endoscopy with an otolaryngologist, where a probe can be inserted to see if there are physiological difficulties. A videofluoroscopy can be performed in a hospital or x-ray clinic, where a moving x-ray can be taken while the patient swallows. More often, a bedside exam or manual exam can be performed by a speech pathologist in a clinic, where she can feel and observe the swallowing of different consistencies of foods and liquids. This is often done with cervical auscultation where swallowing can be heard with a stethoscope. Website design By BotEap.comSpeech pathologists can give exercises that will strengthen or coordinate swallowing. Sometimes swallowing is controlled by recommending foods or liquids that are safe for a person to eat. Website design By BotEap.comRecommendations should always be followed. The risks are serious if swallowing is not managed well. Good swallow management will ensure that people are as safe and comfortable as possible when eating and drinking.
Swallowing disorder – What is dysphagia?
Website design By BotEap.comSWALLOWING DIFFICULTIES – DYSPHAGIA
Website design By BotEap.comDysphagia is the medical term for difficulty swallowing. Swallowing is something that happens to most people without having to think about it, but dysphagia can affect everyone of all ages, from newborns to the elderly.
Website design By BotEap.comAt the back of the mouth is the pharynx. Just below the pharynx we have two tubes, one for air (the trachea) and one for food and liquids (the esophagus). Only one is supposed to be open at a time, so we stop breathing momentarily when we swallow and then start breathing right after.
Website design By BotEap.comSwallowing is actually one of the most complex actions our body has to do. First, the brain has to plan all the action and then tell at least thirty pairs of muscles what to do. This is called a motor program or motor plan.
Food is processed in the mouth to the point where it is safe to swallow, and for most foods this includes chewing. Food or liquid needs to maneuver to the back of the mouth and down the pharynx, ready to pass into the esophagus. This causes the area around the larynx (the ‘voice box’) to rise. Everything is connected and protected by muscles and ligaments. Website design By BotEap.comIf you want to appreciate this movement, feel your larynx as you swallow. Website design By BotEap.comAs the larynx rises, it pulls up a small flap of skin called the epiglottis that covers the airways. The airways are also protected by the closing vocal cords and the false vocal cords above them, so there are normally three layers of airway protection. Website design By BotEap.comAs the airway is covered, the entrance to the esophagus (the sphincter) opens and food is quickly drawn into the opening. From there, the esophagus moves the food down to the stomach, in a movement over which we have no control, by gravity. Website design By BotEap.comThen the esophageal sphincter closes and the airways open, and breathing continues. Website design By BotEap.comEveryone knows the feeling that something is going the wrong way. We can usually cough and babble until we get rid of whatever it is. This is fortunate, because food eaten incorrectly can cause choking, and fluid in the airways or lungs can cause chest infections and even pneumonia. If food or liquid enters the larynx and enters the airways, this is called aspiration. Website design By BotEap.comAll sorts of things can go wrong with swallowing. Because it is a complex and finely tuned action, even a small amount of coordination difficulty can cause a problem. Other problems arise when swallowing is not initiated (started), or the airway is not covered, or is not covered quickly and completely. If food or liquid remains in the pharynx after swallowing, it can slip into the airway seconds later when we breathe or speak. Website design By BotEap.comSometimes babies can have difficulty swallowing from birth. Or they may have a disease of some kind that requires an alternative way of feeding, and swallowing can be established later if possible. During most of life, swallowing difficulties occur due to an accident or illness, such as a traumatic brain injury or a thyroid deficiency). In older people, swallowing is more frequent, particularly when there is an illness or people are not feeling well. Website design By BotEap.comOften after surgery, such as fracture repair, older people are particularly vulnerable. In ‘the old days’, most people used to die after a hip fracture, for example, because they inhaled fluid that caused pneumonia. In addition to dealing with pain and having poor mobility, not being able to sit up straight, people are often well medicated at this time and this makes the brain less able to make a motor program and carry it out accurately. Website design By BotEap.comOlder people who are unwell are at high risk for dysphagia. The elderly in residential facilities or nursing homes, for example, who often have limited mobility and communication skills, should be closely monitored for swallowing difficulties. Website design By BotEap.comThe physician responsible for diagnosing and managing dysphagia is a speech pathologist. A speech pathologist can assess, monitor, and rehabilitate swallowing. Website design By BotEap.comA speech pathologist may use a combination of resources, depending on the technology available. In some cases, patients may have access to a fiberoptic endoscopy with an otolaryngologist, where a probe can be inserted to see if there are physiological difficulties. A videofluoroscopy can be performed in a hospital or x-ray clinic, where a moving x-ray can be taken while the patient swallows. More often, a bedside exam or manual exam can be performed by a speech pathologist in a clinic, where she can feel and observe the swallowing of different consistencies of foods and liquids. This is often done with cervical auscultation where swallowing can be heard with a stethoscope. Website design By BotEap.comSpeech pathologists can give exercises that will strengthen or coordinate swallowing. Sometimes swallowing is controlled by recommending foods or liquids that are safe for a person to eat. Website design By BotEap.comRecommendations should always be followed. The risks are serious if swallowing is not managed well. Good swallow management will ensure that people are as safe and comfortable as possible when eating and drinking.
Food is processed in the mouth to the point where it is safe to swallow, and for most foods this includes chewing. Food or liquid needs to maneuver to the back of the mouth and down the pharynx, ready to pass into the esophagus. This causes the area around the larynx (the ‘voice box’) to rise. Everything is connected and protected by muscles and ligaments. Website design By BotEap.comIf you want to appreciate this movement, feel your larynx as you swallow. Website design By BotEap.comAs the larynx rises, it pulls up a small flap of skin called the epiglottis that covers the airways. The airways are also protected by the closing vocal cords and the false vocal cords above them, so there are normally three layers of airway protection. Website design By BotEap.comAs the airway is covered, the entrance to the esophagus (the sphincter) opens and food is quickly drawn into the opening. From there, the esophagus moves the food down to the stomach, in a movement over which we have no control, by gravity. Website design By BotEap.comThen the esophageal sphincter closes and the airways open, and breathing continues. Website design By BotEap.comEveryone knows the feeling that something is going the wrong way. We can usually cough and babble until we get rid of whatever it is. This is fortunate, because food eaten incorrectly can cause choking, and fluid in the airways or lungs can cause chest infections and even pneumonia. If food or liquid enters the larynx and enters the airways, this is called aspiration. Website design By BotEap.comAll sorts of things can go wrong with swallowing. Because it is a complex and finely tuned action, even a small amount of coordination difficulty can cause a problem. Other problems arise when swallowing is not initiated (started), or the airway is not covered, or is not covered quickly and completely. If food or liquid remains in the pharynx after swallowing, it can slip into the airway seconds later when we breathe or speak. Website design By BotEap.comSometimes babies can have difficulty swallowing from birth. Or they may have a disease of some kind that requires an alternative way of feeding, and swallowing can be established later if possible. During most of life, swallowing difficulties occur due to an accident or illness, such as a traumatic brain injury or a thyroid deficiency). In older people, swallowing is more frequent, particularly when there is an illness or people are not feeling well. Website design By BotEap.comOften after surgery, such as fracture repair, older people are particularly vulnerable. In ‘the old days’, most people used to die after a hip fracture, for example, because they inhaled fluid that caused pneumonia. In addition to dealing with pain and having poor mobility, not being able to sit up straight, people are often well medicated at this time and this makes the brain less able to make a motor program and carry it out accurately. Website design By BotEap.comOlder people who are unwell are at high risk for dysphagia. The elderly in residential facilities or nursing homes, for example, who often have limited mobility and communication skills, should be closely monitored for swallowing difficulties. Website design By BotEap.comThe physician responsible for diagnosing and managing dysphagia is a speech pathologist. A speech pathologist can assess, monitor, and rehabilitate swallowing. Website design By BotEap.comA speech pathologist may use a combination of resources, depending on the technology available. In some cases, patients may have access to a fiberoptic endoscopy with an otolaryngologist, where a probe can be inserted to see if there are physiological difficulties. A videofluoroscopy can be performed in a hospital or x-ray clinic, where a moving x-ray can be taken while the patient swallows. More often, a bedside exam or manual exam can be performed by a speech pathologist in a clinic, where she can feel and observe the swallowing of different consistencies of foods and liquids. This is often done with cervical auscultation where swallowing can be heard with a stethoscope. Website design By BotEap.comSpeech pathologists can give exercises that will strengthen or coordinate swallowing. Sometimes swallowing is controlled by recommending foods or liquids that are safe for a person to eat. Website design By BotEap.comRecommendations should always be followed. The risks are serious if swallowing is not managed well. Good swallow management will ensure that people are as safe and comfortable as possible when eating and drinking.