Emma Barnett, McKenzie Michalski, and Catie Powell “The Impact of Progressive Chin Tuck Against Resistance (P-CTAR) on Oral Tongue Strength”
Mentor: Barbara Pauloski, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Rehabilitation Sciences & Technology (School of)
Poster #35
Dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing, occurs as a result of many disease processes as well as normal aging. One important mechanism essential for healthy swallowing function is hyolaryngeal elevation, which contributes to both swallow safety and efficiency. Tongue strength is also often impaired in persons with dysphagia. Reduced tongue strength may result in difficulty with chewing, transporting food and liquid through the oral cavity, and clearing residue that contributes to an inefficient swallow. The Specificity and Transfer Principles of strength training are important considerations when selecting an exercise program. The Specificity Principle states that strength will not generalize to movement dissimilar to the trained movement, while the Transfer Principle states that performing one activity affects the performance of related activities. This study investigated the effects of an innovative adaptation of an evidence-based intervention for hyolaryngeal elevation on oral tongue strength. The 6-week program called Progressive Chin Tuck Against Resistance (P-CTAR) targets hyolaryngeal elevation and provides progressive resistance by increasing the internal pressure of an exercise ball by 2 PSI every two weeks. Fifteen participants (ages 21-55) engaged in P-CTAR, which involved squeezing a ball to the chest with the chin for 1-minute holds, followed by 30 compress-and-release repetitions, performed five times per week for six weeks. Maximum tongue strength was measured at anterior and posterior positions on the oral tongue using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) at baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 6, with participants exerting maximum effort for 3 seconds in three trials per position. Results showed a significant increase in tongue strength, with anterior tongue pressure rising from 51.18 at baseline to 63.89 at Week 6, and posterior tongue pressure increasing from 49.78 to 60.40. These findings suggest that the 6-week P-CTAR program significantly improves tongue strength in healthy adults, providing evidence of the Transfer Principle.