Swallowing difficulties, diagnostics and treatments

Swallowing problems, causes and solutions is the topic of the day. 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.

Consideration for the underlying neurophysiological impairment is necessary for understanding swallow function and deficits. Different management approaches may be necessary for individuals with dysphagia that has resulted from an acute event, chronic/stable condition, or progressive neurological disorder. Treatment targeting a specific function or structure may also affect function in other structures. Treatment of dysphagia may include restoration of normal swallow function (rehabilitative), modifications to diet consistency and patient behavior (compensatory), or some combination of these two approaches. See more info on Swallowing disorders.

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.

As South Louisiana’s only mobile swallowing diagnostics service provider, we’re working hard to ensure our company reaches as many patients and clinicians as possible. In addition to presenting at multiple state conferences and hosting several Continuing Education (CEU) events in the New Orleans area every year, our owner works tirelessly to ensure our team is speed on the current research. We’re happy to work with your facility to offer educational sessions to your staff members. Find additional info at https://www.dysphagiainmotion.com/.