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Swallowing problems, diagnostics and treatments in South Louisiana

Swallowing problems, causes and solutions in South Louisiana region is the topic 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.

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. Read more details at South Louisiana Swallowing Diagnostics.

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.

High quality images paired with in-depth analysis of swallowing function leads to improved recommendations. Timely assessments! We aim to have your patient evaluated within 1-2 business days. Cost-effective! FEES costs about 1/4 to 1/2 of a traditional modified barium swallow study (MBSS) at the hospital. We work our hardest to prevent your patient from being placed on texture modified diets but if they need to, we can prove with objective data for accurate documentation. We take the time to help you come up with strategies and make recommendations that ACTUALLY WORK! Discover more details at www.dysphagiainmotion.com.

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