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Dysphagia Home Exercises

Dysphagia is the medical term for a condition that causes difficulty swallowing liquids or foods. People diagnosed with dysphagia believe that food is constantly sticking or getting caught in the throat or chest. Common symptoms include coughing while swallowing, regurgitating food and difficulty swallowing. Performing home-based exercises may help relieve such symptoms.

  1. Exercise No. 1

    • Exercising the lips may help prevent food from escaping the mouth, reducing the chances of experiencing malnutrition and dehydration and encouraging strengthening of the chewing muscles. To start, take a deep breath and expand the cheeks, like you're making a funny face. Try to push the air out of your mouth, though, you want to keep the lips closed. Feel the pressure on the inside of the cheeks. As the mouth and cheek muscles gain strength, you can try to "shift" the air from one cheek to the other. Do this exercise about 10 times, holding the air in the cheeks for about 10 seconds to start.

    Exercise No. 2

    • Place a firm, small object between the upper and lower lips. You can use something like a poker chip or something similar. With the object placed between the lips, try to pull the object from your lips, using gentle pressure, while your lips try to maintain their hold on the object. Do this exercise five times to start, holding the pressure while you or someone else tries to pull the object from between the lips for about 10 seconds at a time.

    Exercise No. 3

    • Pucker up! Purse the lips together, like you're about to plant a big smooch on the mirror. Keep the lips pursed for about 10 seconds, then relax. You can do this exercise between five to 10 times. You'll really feel this in the lips and the muscles around the mouth.

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