Abstract
Introduce treatment for speech and swallowing by acupuncture or acupoint pressure for rehabilitation in this article. For both speech and swallowing, the aim of the treatment is not only improvement of oral function but also improvement of posture. It is necessary to pay attention to the neck and trunk posture for treating speech and swallowing. If we find shortening of the skin or muscles on the neck and the trunk, the first treatment is to stretch shortening skin and shortening muscles. To treat abnormal muscle tonus, I choose acupoint treatment by the meridian method. The acupoint treatment is decided by the relationship of the affected muscle and the meridian. I treat patients' acupoint by acupuncture, but if you cannot use acupuncture, apply pressure to the acupoint using your fingers. This method is named "acupoint stimulation physical therapy (ASPT)", and is advocated by Toshiaki Suzuki. The acupoints that we use for neck and trunk posture are as follows: to control neck flexor muscles, Hegu(LI4) for the sternocleidmastoid muscle, and Chongyang(ST42) for scalenus muscles; and to control for neck extensor muscles, Waiguan(TE5) for the trapezius muscle; (upper part), Houxi(SI3) or Waiguan(TE5) for the splenius, and Kunlun(BL60) for elevator scapula. If the abnormal posture appears at the trunk, hypotonus of the abdomen muscles and hypertonus of the back muscles occur simultaneously. To control these muscles, we use acupoints of Chongyang(ST42) for abdomen muscles and Kunlun(BL60) for back muscles. Some kinds of dysarthria and dysphagia are too difficult for conventional rehabilitation, but I think that ASPT, an alternative treatment approach, may raise the possibility of favorable outcomes for dysarthria and dysphagia.
