Swallow strength training exercise for elderly: A health maintenance need. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2018 Oct;30(10):e13382
Date
06/30/2018Pubmed ID
29956861Pubmed Central ID
PMC6160333DOI
10.1111/nmo.13382Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85053916305 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 23 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown high prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia associated with frailty- and age-related muscle weakness. Strength training exercises have been advocated for locomotive health maintenance in the elderly and have shown positive outcomes. As muscles involved in oropharyngeal phase of swallowing are also comprised of striated muscles, the aim of this study was to determine biomechanical effect of a novel resistance exercise program, Swallowing Against Laryngeal Restriction (SALR), on pharyngeal phase swallowing in the healthy elderly.
METHODS: A total of 28 volunteers (75 + 7 years; 17 females) with no complaint of dysphagia were studied using video fluoroscopy before and after 6 weeks of the swallow strength training exercise. Eighteen of these volunteers also underwent high-resolution pharyngeal manometry non-concurrent with fluoroscopy. Ten additional volunteers (81 + 6 years; 9 females) were studied by videofluoroscopy before and after 6 weeks of a sham exercise.
KEY RESULTS: Swallow resistance exercise but not the sham exercise resulted in a significant increase in maximum upper esophageal sphincter opening (P < .01), superior and anterior laryngeal excursion (P < .01) as well as posterior pharyngeal wall thickness (P < .01). Resistance exercise but not sham exercise also resulted in a significant increase in deglutitive pharyngeal contractile integral (P < .01).
CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Strength training of muscles involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing using the swallowing against laryngeal restriction technique is feasible and significantly improves key physiologic features of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. These findings provide the basis for consideration of developing an exercise-based swallow health maintenance program for the elderly swallow health maintenance program for the elderly.
Author List
Agrawal D, Kern M, Edeani F, Balasubramanian G, Hyngstrom A, Sanvanson P, Shaker RAuthors
Dilpesh S. Agrawal MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinGokulakrishnan Balasubramanian MD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Francis Edeani MD Assistant Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Allison Hyngstrom PhD Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette University
Patrick P. Sanvanson MD Associate Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Reza Shaker MD Assoc Provost, Sr Assoc Dean, Ctr Dir, Chief, Prof in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Deglutition
Deglutition Disorders
Exercise Therapy
Female
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Larynx
Male
Muscle, Skeletal
Pharynx
Resistance Training
