Proprioceptive Stimulation of the Articulatory Muscles for Restoration of Speech and Swallowing
Objective of the Paper: To assess the possibility of supplementing standard speech therapy protocols for dysarthria patients in the acute period of ischemic stroke, with techniques for stimulating the afferent nerves of the mouth and articulatory organs via a proprietary training mask designed to improve proprioception. Key Points: The paper describes a clinical case of using the training mask. Repeated speech evaluations and changes in scores on scales for assessing the severity of speech problems and dysarthria showed that stimulation of the proprioceptive afferents in the mouth and articulatory organs improved mimetic muscle function and speech articulation, contributed to normalizing muscle tone in the articulatory muscles, and reduced speech hesitation. Conclusion: The clinical case described in the paper demonstrates the positive effects of a training mask designed for proprioceptive stimulation of the articulatory muscles in patients with acute ischemic stroke. These results will be of interest to neurologists, speech therapists, and specialists in neurorehabilitation. Keywords: dysarthria, pseudobulbar disorders, extrapyramidal disorders, training mask, ischemic stroke.