Speech therapy massage – tongue massage

Hypertonicity in a child is an excessive overstrain of the flexor muscles. It is due to the fact that for a long time the muscles of an unborn child are in constant tension: in the uterine cavity, the arms are clenched into fists, and the legs are pressed to the body, and the chin is to the chest. In the womb, fetal movements are limited and not varied. It is more comfortable for newborns to maintain the fetal position, this way they feel more protected and calm.

The tension in the muscles of the baby's head and neck in the mother's belly is quite strong, so after birth the head is slightly tilted back, and the limbs are bent and pressed close to the body. In nine cases out of ten, children in the first months of life experience muscle tone, which goes away on its own. As the child grows and adapts to living conditions outside the womb, the muscles relax and voluntary movements appear. However, in some infants the state of tone persists even after 3 months, which may indicate deviations from the norm and the need for treatment. Most often this is due to the fact that during intrauterine development or during childbirth (immediately after it) the child’s nervous system was damaged. The central nervous system is not able to fully transmit impulses to the muscles for their proper functioning due to damage to the neurons of the brain.

Do not be afraid of this diagnosis, since the child’s nervous system is not fully formed, and its condition can be influenced. The main thing is to pay attention to the baby’s well-being and behavior in time, consider the deviation and seek help from a specialist.

Doctors distinguish the following types of hypertension:

general, that is, the whole organism;
only upper or lower extremities;
according to hemitype, that is, the tone of the limbs on one side: right or left.

Types of tongue massage?

Tongue massage can be done manually. Manual speech therapy massage is performed by a speech therapist using the fingertips. Manual speech therapy massage is both an independent stage of tongue massage and can be a preparatory stage for the second type of speech therapy massage - probe massage of the tongue.

The second type of speech therapy massage is probe massage. Probe speech therapy massage is performed with special speech therapy probes. Speech therapy probes are special “sticks” that have different shapes to influence different structures of the oral cavity. Speech therapy probe massage is deeper than manual tongue massage. In some cases, a specialist may replace the probe with a toothbrush or other device. The main thing is that the specialist clearly understands what he wants to achieve!

3 more exercises

The “Pressing” exercise can strengthen the muscular corset of the tongue. You need to forcefully press it to the sky. Next, you should stay in this position for 10-15 seconds. Then, again with effort, pull your tongue towards the larynx. And again remain in the accepted position for 10 seconds. Next, press firmly with your tongue on the dental crowns of the upper row. Stay in this position for 10-12 seconds. There should be 3 approaches. Breathe through your nose and close your lips tightly.
An equally productive exercise is “Show off your tongue.” We need to show it as much as possible. Try to reach it first to the edge of your nose, and then to your chin. There must be at least 20 approaches.
The “Tongue Candle” exercise will also help. It is done very simply. You should open your mouth, just forcefully, to feel a slight stretch. Now try to reach the upper palate with your tongue. In this position, the hyoid part is quite tense. There are 10 approaches as usual. It is more productive to perform this task with your head tilted up.

Who does tongue massage? Who has special knowledge for this?

Despite the fact that the word massage implies the participation of a massage therapist in the process, in the case of speech therapy massage this is not the case! Speech therapists provide speech therapy massage! But not all speech therapists are ready and able to perform massage. Typically, a speech therapist who has gained experience and understands that many problems cannot be solved without speech therapy massage receives additional education on the topic of “speech therapy massage.” After training and receiving a special document, a speech therapist is considered a tongue massage specialist.

It should be added that you can do tongue massage yourself, for example, when a mother does basic techniques to her child. But all the same, it is better to entrust the appointment of massage and control over its effectiveness to an experienced speech therapist-myofunctional therapist! What distinguishes a simple speech therapist from a speech therapist-myofunctional therapist is that the latter understands in more detail and is able to work with the muscles of the articulatory apparatus and masticatory organ.

Why does hypertension occur in infants?

The causes of hypertension in infants are caused by the action of unfavorable factors during intrauterine development, during childbirth, or in the first days after birth.

During pregnancy, the fetus may suffer due to the following factors:

hypoxia - a long period of oxygen starvation;
acute infectious diseases suffered by the mother or her chronic diseases;
general intoxication of the mother’s body;
bad habits of women: smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs;
early/late toxicosis, threat of miscarriage, uterine tone;
Rh conflict between mother and child.

Difficult, rapid or, conversely, protracted labor can also cause increased muscle tone in babies. Various birth injuries, umbilical cord entanglements, lack of oxygen (hypoxia) - all this can lead to disruption of the newborn’s nervous system and cause abnormalities and illness.

How is tongue massage done?

Tongue massage is carried out in a special speech therapy room. For example, a speech therapist’s office at a Family Dental Clinic looks like this:

Speech therapy massage is carried out in a relaxed state for the patient. This is usually lying down, reclining or sitting. If a tongue massage is performed on a small child, then the child sits on the mother’s lap. A tongue massage takes about 15 minutes. It is usually perceived positively by patients because it does not cause negative or painful conditions. The specialist performs a tongue massage wearing special disposable gloves. Massage probes are sterilized after each patient! This is an advantageous difference between medical and other organizations where tongue massage can be performed, for example, kindergarten, etc. In institutions of this type, such as kindergartens, speech therapists are not provided with either gloves or sterilizers. Therefore, they massage with bare hands and wipe the probes with alcohol. This, from our point of view, is not enough to ensure patient safety!

Consultation with a neurologist is most effective at home

In order to examine the child and assess muscle tone, the child must be calm and should not cry at the time of examination or before the examination (crying can greatly affect tone). Children with altered tone react more sharply to changes in the environment, unfamiliar smells or sounds. Any fear or agitation of the baby can distort the results of the examination.

Therefore, in order for an examination by a neurologist to be as effective as possible, we recommend calling a neurologist to the newborn’s home.

Who is tongue massage recommended for?

Tongue massage can be both stimulating and relaxing. And also combined, when one area of the tongue needs to be relaxed and the other stimulated! This is where the indications for tongue massage come from. Speech therapy massage is indicated for patients:

with speech impairments;
disorders of chewing and swallowing function;
with malocclusion;
undergoing orthodontic treatment (bite correction and teeth straightening);
undergoing orthopedic treatment (dental prosthetics);
with a short frenulum of the tongue for the purpose of non-surgical stretching;
with hypertonicity of the tongue and masticatory muscles (bruxists and claunchers - people who clench and grind their teeth);
with increased stress on the speech apparatus (teachers, lecturers, etc.).

What is dangerous about the absence of a sucking-swallowing reflex?

It takes a lot of time to restore the sucking reflex, but with competent coordinated actions by doctors and the child’s parents, a favorable prognosis is possible. Children catch up with their peers in development by the end of the first year of life (less often the third).

If the unconditioned reflex cannot be restored, two scenarios are possible:

The child dies of exhaustion.
Further tube feeding. Most of these children do not live up to one year, some of them can last up to 2-3 years. Death is associated primarily with disruption of the digestive tract.

Speech therapy massage and dentistry! What's the connection? And what do we use in Dial-Dent?

People with malocclusion and uneven teeth almost always have improper and unbalanced functioning of the muscles of the tongue, lips, chewing muscles and other muscles of the masticatory organ. Moreover, the modern concept of the causes of the formation of bite defects suggests that most dental defects are caused by improperly working muscles. Incorrect speech, improper functioning of the tongue when swallowing and chewing, asymmetrical pressure of the tongue - all this leads to the fact that the teeth can move in different directions under certain conditions. This is how a deformation of the bite occurs, which is more pronounced the more incorrectly the tongue and other muscles work.

Most orthodontists, without delving into the work of muscles and without consulting with speech therapists, install braces or aligners and straighten the teeth without taking into account the condition of the muscles. This approach is outdated and almost always leads to relapse, when the teeth become crooked again some time after treatment. Knowing this, older orthodontists force their patients to wear retainers. Retainers are structures that keep teeth aligned. This could be a wire glued to the teeth or a plastic mouthguard to wear at night.

At Dial-Dent, we always take into account the muscular cause of malocclusion. The participation of a speech therapist in the diagnosis and in the process of straightening teeth makes it possible to remove or correct the myofunctional causes of deformities. This interdisciplinary approach is more modern and gives the best and most stable treatment results! After treatment, relapses do not occur because muscle balances are leveled. Accordingly, the orthodontic treatment itself occurs faster and without problems with the participation of a speech therapist-myofunctional therapist.

Types, levels and forms of speech dysarthria in children

Table of types of disease by location of the lesion

Name of the pathology form	Peculiarities
Cerebellar	Occurs when the cerebellum is involved in the process. Speech is drawn out, slurred, slow, the volume constantly changes, the child’s tongue trembles, he speaks with shouts, as if chanting slogans. Additional symptoms: poor balance, unsteady gait.
Bulbarnaya	It is caused by paralysis of the articulatory muscles, as well as the nerves - vagus, glossopharyngeal, ternary, sublingual and/or others. Children lack some reflexes, sucking and swallowing, facial expressions are impaired, and it is difficult for them to chew solid food. There is also increased salivation, simplification (all consonants “merge” into one fricative) and slurred sounds, a nasal, hoarse sound of the voice, sometimes its absence.
Pseudobulbar	Occurs with centralized paralysis (spastic) of muscles and their hypertonicity. Speech becomes monotonous, it is difficult for the child to lift the tip of the tongue, move it to the side, or hold it. There is increased salivation, soreness, and swallowing disorders (increased reflex). Speech is slurred, nasal, the pronunciation of hissing, whistling and tone sounds is sharply impaired.
Extrapyramidal	It occurs when the function of the subcortical nuclei is disrupted, and therefore received a second name – “subcortical”. Speech is slightly nasal, slurred, and slurred. There are involuntary muscle movements, facial expressions, and articulatory spasms. The timbre and strength of the voice changes, the pace of conversation is disrupted, and there are occasional guttural cries.
Cortical	Damage to those areas of the cerebral cortex that are responsible for articulatory muscles. Children pronounce words correctly in structure, but with impaired pronunciation of syllables. There is difficulty breathing during conversation and voice.
Cold	Manifests itself as one of the symptoms of myasthenia gravis (fatigue and weakness of striated muscles). Speech disruptions occur when the air temperature in the room where the child is located increases or decreases.

Classification according to the degree of development of pathology:

I (erased) - only a speech therapist can identify incorrect pronunciation during examination and examination, almost complete recovery is possible;
II – pronunciation is clear, but defects are noticeable;
III – the child is understood only by close people, strangers rarely;
IV – even relatives do not understand the pronunciation or there is no speech, most often considered within the framework of cerebral palsy.

Important! The erased form is characterized by difficulty chewing solid food. Parents should not change their child's diet because of this. It is necessary to gradually accustom him to chew on the same basis as other people. Source: E.F. Arkhipova Erased dysarthria in children: a textbook for university students // M.: AST: Astrel: KHRANITEL, 2006, p.319

Cost of tongue massage at Dial-Dent. Specialist in speech therapy massage.

At the Family Dental Tongue Massage or speech therapy massage, speech therapist-myofunctional therapist Tatyana Borisovna Tsukor is engaged. Graduated from Moscow Pedagogical State University. Lenin. Work experience more than 15 years. Speech therapist teacher of the highest qualification category. Laureate of the competitions “Heart given to children 2008” and “Heart given to children 2010”.

The cost of a session with a speech therapist is 3,500 rubles. The duration of the session is from 30 minutes to 50 minutes depending on the task and the age of the patient. If necessary, the session also includes speech therapy massage.

Being a unique speech therapist who has been collaborating with dentists for a long time and successfully, Tsukor T.B. conducts training courses for both orthodontists and speech therapists. The course covers all aspects of speech therapy massage. Of course, every orthodontist should know about the capabilities of such a powerful tool as speech therapy massage. Training is carried out both as part of presentations at congresses, and individually or in small groups.

Our speech therapist also conducts classes via Skype. The cost of such a lesson is 2500 rubles. As you understand, speech therapy massage cannot be done via Skype, so if you need a massage, you will still have to come to Dial-Dent.

You can make an appointment with the Family Dental speech therapist Tatyana Borisovna Tsukor by calling the clinic +7-499-110-18-01 or using the form on the website. You can ask questions about speech therapy, as well as massage training, to T.B. Zukor on her page in.

When you need to urgently call a neurologist at home

In newborns and children of the first year of life

The baby's sleep is disturbed: there are difficulties falling asleep, shallow and restless sleep with frequent awakenings.
When the fontanelle bulges.
If the fontanel is painful, crying when touched)
With frequent and profuse regurgitation, even with small amounts of food.
When any convulsions occur.
If the child has a forced position of the legs: with the toes tucked, or the feet are extended as if the child is “standing on tiptoes.”
With monotonous crying, refusal to feed, sluggish sucking.

In children older than one year

For severe or frequent headaches.
For neck pain.
If the child complains of shooting or piercing pain in the back when moving.
For muscle twitching or tics.
If your child experiences fainting.
With constant absent-mindedness.
With forgetfulness, sudden changes in mood.
If the child experiences unmotivated crying or aggression.
If speech, reading, or writing impairment is obvious.
With a sharp decrease or impairment of vision, taste, hearing, and smell.
With low learning ability, progressive educational retardation.
With “bad behavior”, uncontrollability.
With increased fatigue.
If you see a lack or a sharp deterioration in contacts with other children.
For bedwetting of urine or feces (for children over 5 years old, if it occurs more than 2 times a week).
If a change in gait is obvious, refusal to stand on a leg.
In case of sleep disturbance, if there is difficulty falling asleep.

In case of head injuries, loss of consciousness, severe convulsions, or the child’s condition is unclear, CALL AN AMBULANCE IMMEDIATELY.