We take so much for granted in our day to day lives. One of those things is the simple act of swallowing.
But for some people, it’s not that simple.
It is not all that uncommon for people to suffer with swallowing disorders – and those disorders can be the result of a number of ailments. Speech pathologists are experts in the field.
"Speech pathologists work in a wide range of areas from birth all the way through adulthood and geriatric populations. They work on communications, speaking and understanding. They work on cognition," said speech pathologist Jill Anzalone.
That includes attention and understanding. But all these things can be tied to swallowing problems.
"Some people are born with swallowing problems and swallowing problems usually arise from weakness or in-coordination in the muscles that you use to swallow with," Anzalone said.
Someone can develop swallowing disorders during their adult life because of stroke, head injury or cancer. Rehabilitation can help.
"Speech pathologists work on exercises that will strengthen the mouth and throat muscles. We also work on instructing patients on different types of diet modifications, thicknesses of liquids that make things easier to swallow as well as positional strategies that help people to swallow safely," Anzalone said.
Speech pathologists use videofluoroscopy to diagnose the problem.
"What we do is we X-ray the person as they’re eating different foods and liquids and we then can get a clear picture of how their mouth is controlling the food and the liquid as it’s being processed as it goes down their throat," Anzalone said.
These are a few symptoms to watch for if you are concerned about yourself or a loved one.
"A wet and gurgly voice or wet and gurgly respirations again after you’ve eaten. And again if the patient, if the person is complaining of something sticking in their throat after they’ve eaten or drank anything. And if that happens regularly, then their physician should be contacted," Anzalone said.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
