정선은1,2, 한미아3, 박 종3, 최성우3

1조선대학교 보건대학원 보건학과, 2조선대학교 호남권역재활병원 재활의학과, 3조선대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실

Background: Dysphagia is a common complication in stroke patients. This study aimed to investigate the effects
of the tongue-holding maneuver over an 8-week period on the swallowing function in stroke patients.
Methods: Twenty-eight stroke patients with dysphagia diagnosed within 1 year were randomly allocated to the
experimental or control groups. The experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=13) performed the tongue-holding
and Mendelsohn maneuver, respectively. And both groups additionally participated in traditional dysphagia
therapy. The maneuvers were conducted for thirty minutes a day, five days a week, for six weeks, totaling forty
sessions. Swallowing function with the functional dysphagia scale and swallowing pain with the visual analogue
scale between the 2 groups were tested by chi-square tests, Mann-whitney testes, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests.
Results: The general characteristics, including age, sex, and disease history, between the two groups did not
differ. After 8 weeks of intervention, swallowing function at the oral phase and the pharyngeal phase and the total
score was significantly improved in both experimental and control groups. Also, swallowing pain decreased
significantly in both groups. However, the change to swallowing function and pain between the groups were not
different.
Conclusions: The tongue-holding maneuver practiced over an eight-week period improved the swallowing
function in stroke patients.
Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(2):83-90
Keywords: Deglutition disorders, Occupational therapy, Pain, Stroke