For patients with dysphagia resulting from upper esophageal sphincter dysfunction, strengthening the suprahyoid muscles through therapeutic exercise has proved effective in restoring oral feeding. The aim of this study was to compare the maximum and mean surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of the suprahyoid muscles during the Chin Tuck Against Resistance (CTAR) exercise and the Shaker exercise for both isokinetic and isometric tasks. During the CTAR exercises, the participant is seated while tucking the chin to compress an inflatable rubber ball, whereas during the Shaker exercise, the participant is lay supine while lifting the head to look at the feet. Forty healthy participants (20 males, 20 females) aged 21-39 years completed all four tasks in counterbalanced order, with measures of resting activation taken prior to each exercise. Although subjective feedback suggested that the sitting position for CTAR is less strenuous than the supine position for Shaker, the results of separate analyses showed significantly greater maximum sEMG values during the CTAR isokinetic and isometric exercises than during the equivalent Shaker exercises, and significantly greater mean sEMG values were observed for the CTAR isometric exercise than for the Shaker isometric exercise. Clinical trials are now needed, but the CTAR exercises appear effective in exercising the suprahyoid muscles, and they could achieve therapeutic effects comparable to those of Shaker exercises, with the potential for greater compliance by patients.

In this study, the efficacy of two dysphagia interventions, the Chin Tuck against Resistance (CTAR) and Shaker exercises, were evaluated based on two principles in exercise science-muscle-specificity and training intensity. Both exercises were developed to strengthen the suprahyoid muscles, whose contractions facilitate the opening of the upper esophageal sphincter, thereby improving bolus transfer. Thirty-nine healthy adults performed two trials of both exercises in counter-balanced order. Surface electromyography (sEMG) recordings were simultaneously collected from suprahyoid muscle group and sternocleidomastoid muscle during the exercises. Converging results using sEMG amplitude analyses suggested that the CTAR was more specific in targeting the suprahyoid muscles than the Shaker exercise. Fatigue analyses on sEMG signals further indicated that the suprahyoid muscle group were equally or significantly fatigued (depending on metric), when participants carried out CTAR compared to the Shaker exercise. Importantly, unlike during Shaker exercise, the sternocleidomastoid muscles were significantly less activated and fatigued during CTAR. Lowering the chin against resistance is therefore sufficiently specific and intense to fatigue the suprahyoid muscles.

Making appropriate recommendations for safe drinking behavior among different age groups requires understanding of differences between young and older adults in following them. The purpose of this study was to investigate how drinking behavior in terms of drinking speed and bolus size differs between young and older adults following instructions to change drinking rate. Thirty young (mean age 24.7 years) and 30 older (mean age 66.9 years) healthy female participants were recruited. All participants drank water under different drinking instructions: "as they normally would", "as quickly as is comfortably possible", and "slowly". Results showed that when asked to drink quickly, both age groups increased drinking speed to a similar extent. When asked to drink slowly, older adults were unable to slow their drinking rate as much as young adults (P < .001). When drinking slowly, older adults had significantly larger bolus size than young adults'. These suggest that in a healthcare setting, the often prescribed advice to "drinking slowly" may be insufficient precaution for older patients. Prudence is suggested to carefully observe patients drinking after they've been asked to drink slowly, before making a clinical judgment if additional, more specific strategies may be indicated.