Speech impairments, like stuttering, slurring, apraxia, aphasia, articulation and voice disorders, and other orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMDs), are common: According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, “approximately 1 in 14 U.S. children ages 3 to 17 has had a disorder related to voice, speech, or language” and “more than 3 million Americans stutter.”
Treating speech and myofunctional disorders requires targeted treatment plans. These plans, typically devised by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), often include in-office articulation, language, and breathing therapy and at-home exercises, designed to help the patient overcome deficiencies and communicate more smoothly.
Oral motor therapy, which is used to increase the range of motion and/or strenghthen the lips, tongue, and other facial muscles, can be used to complement other exercises and forms of therapy. When employed by a skilled therapist as part of a wider treatment plan, these exercises can help accelerate progress.
Here’s a closer look at how SLPs rehabilitate common issues caused by poor lip strength – and how spring scales can help pathologists measure progress.
The Role of Lip Closing Force in Speech Therapy
Producing p, b, and m sounds requires both lips to touch. If a patient’s lips don’t close (or seal) properly, their pronunciation will be impacted. Poor lip seal can also lead to drooling, which can further impact pronunciation and articulation.
To address these challenges, a speech-language pathologist might employ a form of oral motor therapy that targets the lips. To strengthen lip closing force, the pathologist may have the patient press, protrude, or protract their lips, or puff air into their cheeks. These exercises are sometimes aided by tools like tongue depressors or whistles.
How Speech Therapists Can Use Spring Scales in Their Practice
For any course of therapy – speech or otherwise – to be effective, patients (and parents, if the patient is underaged) must adhere to their prescribed treatment plan. Unfortunately, keeping patients engaged can be challenging when they fail to see progress.
Because many speech therapy exercises and practices produce only qualitative data, it’s important for pathologists to collect quantitative data whenever possible. Spring scales give pathologists that critical data.
Spring scales, like the Pesola Medio, generate numerical data about a patient’s lip closing force. To test, the pathologist attaches a specialized, disposable button to the scale and places it between the patient’s lips. The pathologist then gently pulls the scale to measure the patient’s lip closing force.
The data generated from the scale can be used to gather baseline measurements and measure progress. It can also be submitted to insurance companies as evidence to justify or cover the cost of treatment.
Other Myofunctional Disorders Spring Scales Can Be Used to Treat
While spring scales are commonly used in the treatment of speech disorders, they can also be used in the treatment of medical conditions, including:
- Dysphagia: strokes, dementia, nervous system conditions, brain and spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophies, and esophageal blockages can all lead to dysphagia; lip strengthening exercises can help improve swallowing
- Impaired Masticatory Function: improved lip strength can help to remedy chewing problems caused by advanced age, and muscular and motor disorders
- Facial Transplants: one study published in the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology found that lip closure strengthening exercises can improve “labial strength, speed of lip movement, and range of motion during speech” and “communicat[ion] via facial expression” in facial transplant patients
How to Choose the Right Spring Scale
The quantitative data generated by spring scales about lip closure force can help keep patients engaged in their course of therapy – and accelerate improved outcomes.
JLW Instruments stocks and calibrates the Pesola Medio Spring Scale and recommends it to SLPs and other myofunctional therapists. The high-quality, user-friendly, and durable device was developed in conjunction with and has been thoroughly tested by speech therapists, though it is not FDA approved. For more information, contact JLW Instruments to speak with a spring scale expert.
