"Did you know Speech Language Pathologists can help people with swallowing difficulties? 'Dysphagia' is the term for disordered swallowing, and it can be caused by many different factors. Swallowing is broken down into three different stages: oral (in the mouth), pharyngeal (in the upper throat) and esophageal (in the lower throat/chest). Dysphagia can occur at any of the three stages or in a combination of them.
Symptoms of oral dysphagia include:
Difficulty keeping food in your mouth
Difficulty clearing remaining food from your mouth after you"ve swallowed
Chewing for an extended amount of time without creating a bolus (cohesive mass of food)
Difficulty moving the food to the back of the mouth to swallow
Symptoms of pharyngeal dysphagia include:
Pain with swallowing
Feeling of food being stuck in your throat
Coughing or throat-clearing when eating or drinking
Hoarse or "wet" voice after eating or drinking
Reflux
People with dysphagia may have
difficulty with solid foods, liquids,
or both.
Some causes of dysphagia include, but are not limited to:
Neurological conditions or injury, such as stroke, dementia, Parkinson's Disease, etc.
Obstruction due to oral/throat cancers, infection, or scar tissue build-up (for example, following radiation treatment or due to reflux)
Age-related muscular changes
Breathing difficulties, such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)"
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