Tongue Pressure Resistance Training for Swallowing Impairment Post-Stroke
Keywords
Abstract
Description
Swallowing dysfunction (dysphagia) following stroke results from damage to sensory and motor nerve pathways, impairing muscular physiology and impacting swallow timeliness and airway closure. People with dysphagia experience impaired swallowing safety (entry of food or liquid into the airway - aspiration) and/or impaired swallowing efficiency (food or liquid remaining in the oropharyngeal cavities after the swallow - residue). People with dysphagia following stroke are more likely to experience aspiration pneumonia, which has been associated with higher mortality rates.
The tongue functions to contain food and liquid within the oral cavity before the bolus moves into the pharynx. The tongue generates the primary driving forces, which carry the bolus through the pharynx; consequently, impairments in tongue function can affect both swallowing safety and efficiency. For people who have experienced a stroke, lingual strength is decreased compared to healthy participants. Tongue pressure resistance training has been utilized as an intervention in this population, and has been shown to positively influence tongue strength. It remains unclear whether changes in tongue pressure impact swallowing mechanisms, safety, and efficiency for patients who complete these interventions. In particular, the impact of tongue pressure resistance training on swallow timeliness (swallow onset timing, airway closure reaction time, speed of hyolaryngeal movement) remains unknown. This study will be a randomized trial of tongue pressure resistance training in people with tongue weakness and impaired swallowing safety post-stroke. The goal is to understand the physiological changes that occur as an outcome of tongue pressure resistance training and their relationship to swallowing safety and efficiency. Additionally, the impact of a training protocol involving a home practice component to delineate the impact of patient-driven practice will be explored.
A sample of approximately 40 patients will be enrolled. Participants will complete an 8-week program involving a 4-week course of tongue-pressure resistance training and a 4-week no-treatment phase. Participants will be randomized either to an immediate treatment group (followed by a 4-week post-treatment detraining phase) or to a delayed treatment group involving a 4-week waiting period prior to beginning training. Swallowing outcomes will be measured based on videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) performed at baseline, 4-weeks and 8-weeks post enrollment. The tongue pressure resistance training program will involve practice of tongue-palate pressure generation tasks and swallowing tasks, with biofeedback provided using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI).
Dates
Last Verified: | 02/29/2020 |
First Submitted: | 05/02/2019 |
Estimated Enrollment Submitted: | 05/27/2019 |
First Posted: | 05/30/2019 |
Last Update Submitted: | 03/08/2020 |
Last Update Posted: | 03/09/2020 |
Actual Study Start Date: | 03/31/2019 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date: | 07/31/2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date: | 07/31/2021 |
Condition or disease
Intervention/treatment
Behavioral: Tongue Pressure Resistance Training
Phase
Arm Groups
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Immediate Participants in the immediate intervention arm will begin a 4-week intervention tongue pressure resistance training protocol within 10 days of their baseline Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Evaluation assessment, with 2 face-to-face 1-hour visits per week under direct supervision of a speech-language pathologist. These treatment sessions will be supplemented by daily home practice of the intervention. | |
Active Comparator: Delayed Participants in the delayed intervention arm will begin their involvement with a 4-week waiting period after the baseline Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Evaluation. Treatment will commence after the second Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Evaluation and will follow the same schedule for the tongue pressure resistance training, supplemented by daily home practice. |
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study | 18 Years To 18 Years |
Sexes Eligible for Study | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers | Yes |
Criteria | Inclusion Criteria: - English-speaking adults - A confirmed diagnosis of ischemic stroke (including hemispheric, cortical or subcortical and excluding cerebellum and brainstem locations within 3 months following the stroke) identified via CT or MRI - Eligible participants will display decreased tongue pressure as measured by the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI), and show evidence of dysphagia (safety or efficiency concerns) on baseline VFSS with thin or mildly thick liquid stimuli. Exclusion Criteria: - History of head and neck cancer - Radical neck dissection (e.g. anterior cervical surgery fusions) or neck/ oropharyngeal surgery (not excluded - tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, tracheostomy) - Past medical history of any neurological disease other than stroke (e.g. Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury) - Oral apraxia, impairing the participant's ability to complete exercises - Cognitive or receptive communication difficulties that preclude the participant's ability to follow study instructions - Allergies to barium, potato starch, corn starch, xanthan gum, milk products, or latex |
Outcome
Primary Outcome Measures
1. Penetration-Aspiration Scale [PAS] [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
2. Number of swallows per bolus [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
3. Pixel-based measurement of post-swallow pharyngeal residue [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
4. International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative Functional Diet Scale [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
Secondary Outcome Measures
1. Tongue Strength [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
2. Saliva Swallow Tongue Pressures [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
3. Swallow Timing Swallow Timing [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
4. Hyoid Kinematics [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]
5. Pharyngeal constriction [Pre-treatment baseline, 4 weeks after baseline, 8 weeks after baseline]