By: Victoria M Pavelko, MS CCC SLP

Most of the time, we don’t even think about swallowing our foods or liquids; it’s as much of a reflex as breathing. However, those suffering from a neurological condition, such as Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease, may experience trouble swallowing. This is called DYSPHAGIA. Dysphagia can have many different causes; however, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed because it can lead to major health problems like dehydration, malnutrition, choking or aspiration pneumonia.

It’s important to understand the symptoms of dysphagia. Sometimes the muscles in the cheeks, tongue and throat are weak leading to difficulty chewing our food properly. Other times, it can be related to how the food or liquids move through the esophagus. Fairly frequent a speech pathologist will hear, “I feel like something is stuck in my chest.” While swallowing medication in pill form, it may “get stuck” half way down the throat. These are all symptoms that a speech language pathologist can help diagnosis and treat.

A speech language pathologist is a therapist who has extensive knowledge of the head and neck anatomy and how it works for speech and safe swallowing. This professional understands how the nerves and muscles communicate with each other to make eating and drinking safe and enjoyable.

There are numerous causes that can change how our mouth, throat, and esophagus coordinate and work together. Many times, a loss of dentition later in life will make chewing foods more difficult resulting in a modification to textures and consistencies. Cancer treatments may result in facial numbness and weakness affecting our chewing strength. Neurological damage from spinal cord injury, brain injuries, or strokes affect the trigger of swallow and the ability for the body to protect the lungs from aspiration. There are also many esophageal disorders including: reflux disease, scleroderma, spasms that affect how food and liquid pass from the throat to the stomach.

Symptoms that a speech pathologist can assess and treat include:
Sensation of food getting stuck behind the breastbone
Drooling
Chronic Hoarseness
Regurgitation or vomiting
Frequent heartburn or feeling of acid in your throat
Food avoidance because of swallowing difficulties
Unexpected weight loss
Pain while swallowing
Coughing or gagging while swallowing

There are many techniques that can be used to achieve a safe, healthy swallow response to all many to continue to enjoy their favorite foods and beverages.Please reach out to a Speech language Pathologist for more information.