Swallowing disorders

Sometimes, people have difficulty swallowing or can experience pain while swallowing. This medical condition is called dysphagia. Often, a swallowing disorder makes it difficult to nourish the body with enough calories and fluids. This condition can occur when a weakness of the tongue or cheek muscles make it hard to move food around in the mouth for chewing. Additional factors may include a delay in the swallowing response, anatomical issues or weakness in the throat.

FEES Room

• Coughing or throat clearing during eating/drinking
• Eyes watering or face turning red during eating/drinking
• Loss of weight
• Sensation of something stuck in throat
• Pocketing food in parts of mouth
• Voice sounding wet or gurgling

This condition is evaluated by a speech-language pathologist through the use of patient history and visualization of the swallowing process. Our program utilizes Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES). With this testing method, not only is the patient allowed to consume real foods (no chemicals necessary!), but the clinician can observe muscle fatigue throughout the course of the meal.

After diagnosing the swallowing disorder, a speech-language pathologist will then educate patients about appropriate treatment options. These strategies may include altering food/drink consistency, teaching improved posture and eating techniques, or functional exercise to improve oral muscular strength.

For additional information on swallowing disorders from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, click HERE.