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What is orofacial fatigue and how does it affect function for swallowing and speech?
1Research Speech-Language Pathologist, Army Audiology and Speech Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307, USA.
Seminars in Speech and Language
|November 23, 2006
Summary
Assessing orofacial muscle fatigue is challenging for speech-language pathologists. While Parkinson's disease patients show heightened fatigue, its impact on swallowing and speaking remains unclear but appears minimal.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Physiology
Background:
- Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) often encounter patients reporting fatigue, but objective assessment tools are limited.
- The contribution of fatigue to dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) and dysarthria (speech difficulties) is not well understood.
- Orofacial muscles play crucial roles in both speech and swallowing functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review orofacial muscles and their roles in swallowing and speaking.
- To define fatigue and describe assessment procedures for orofacial muscles.
- To explore the effects of tongue exercise on speech and non-speech tasks, particularly in individuals with Parkinson's disease.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of orofacial muscles, fatigue definitions, and assessment procedures.
- Author's research involving fatigue assessment, focusing on the tongue.
- Investigating the effects of tongue exercise on speech and non-speech tasks in individuals with Parkinson's disease and healthy adults.
Main Results:
- Parkinson's disease is generally associated with heightened orofacial muscle fatigue compared to neurologically normal adults.
- The precise impact of orofacial fatigue on functional activities like swallowing and speaking requires further investigation.
- Preliminary evidence suggests that swallowing and speaking functions demonstrate considerable resilience to orofacial fatigue.
Conclusions:
- Standardized clinical procedures for assessing orofacial fatigue in SLP practice are needed.
- Further research is essential to clarify the relationship between orofacial fatigue and functional communication/swallowing impairments.
- Despite fatigue, speech and swallowing mechanisms appear robust, though individual variability may exist.
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