Tongue strength measurement in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: qualitative vs quantitative procedures

Tongue weakness and articulatory imprecision have been found to be significantly related in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To determine the strength of the tongue musculature, qualitative measurement techniques are routinely used during the neurologic examination. Recently, a quantitative measurement procedure was described and reported to have yielded important diagnostic and therapeutic implications for patients with ALS. This paper briefly compares and contrasts the applicability of qualitative versus quantitative procedures of tongue strength measurement, as well as different approaches to articulatory remediation for these patients.