Dose in Exercise-Based Dysphagia Therapies: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Clinical Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Speech and Language Pathology

Background:

• Optimal exercise dosing for dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) treatment remains unclear.
• A scoping review was conducted to document exercise doses reported in existing literature.
• The goal was to encourage detailed consideration of dosing parameters in dysphagia exercise interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and report on the exercise doses utilized in dysphagia treatment interventions.
• To identify common exercise types and their reported parameters.
• To provide a foundation for future research on optimal exercise dosing for swallowing disorders.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed across major databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane) up to July 2019.
• Search terms focused on dysphagia and exercises for swallowing impairments.
• 1906 articles were screened, with 72 meeting inclusion criteria for reporting frequency and duration of exercise-based treatments.

Main Results:

• Interventions included tongue, Shaker/head lift, respiratory muscle, mandibular, and lip exercises, as well as combination programs.
• Frequency and duration recommendations varied significantly by exercise type, with durations ranging from 4 weeks to 1 year.
• Reported repetitions ranged from 1-120 reps/day, and intensity was described variably; outcome measures were highly diverse.

Conclusions:

• Standardized reporting of exercise dose components (frequency, duration, repetition, intensity) is recommended for improved study reproducibility and interpretation.
• Further research is necessary to establish optimal dose ranges for various exercise-based dysphagia interventions.
• Consistent reporting will facilitate better comparison and advancement of dysphagia treatment strategies.