Research supports the use of respiratory muscle training (RMT) to improve ventilator weaning outcomes, swallow safety, and cough strength (Pitts et al., 2009; Elkins & Dentice, 2015). The use of a no- leak speaking valve, such as the Passy Muir ®Valve (PMV®), allows patients with tracheostomies, even those who are ventilator-dependent, to participate in expiratory…
Respiratory muscle strength training (RMST) is becoming widely used as a treatment modality in the field of speech-language pathology (SLP) for patients with impairments in speech, voice, cough, and/or swallowing. The primary goal of RMST is to increase the force-generating capacity of the inspiratory (inspiratory muscle strength training; IMST) and expiratory muscles (expiratory muscle strength…
Article Highlights Twenty-nine participants with voice disorders who are working in a hospital and who are using their voice for more than 4 hours per day were recruited. Study group: EMST 3 days per week and involved performing 25 expiratory exercises (five cycles, each comprising five breaths) for 5 weeks Control group: NO intervention All…
Article Highlights First report of EMST intervention after supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL). The clinical pilot study was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of a 4-week treatment program Most participants found the device easy to use and beneficial Demonstrated improvement in two measures: Increase in peak cough flow and decrease on the Dyspnea index…
Article Highlights A mild‐to‐moderate intensity, EMST program was well tolerated in individuals with early ALS. The program resulted in significant improvements in Maximum Expiratory Pressures (MEP) and oral intake, as well as maintenance of peak cough flow and swallowing function. Further studies are warranted to validate these findings and to investigate the long‐term impact of…
Early on in my career, I was drawn to the wondrous world of swallowology. I have always been amazed with the intricacy of the neural muscular underpinnings of deglutition and the power of neural plasticity through rehabilitation. Evidence of improved swallow function with application of exercise physiology and neural plasticity principles has been shown in…