2024 Volume 74 Issue 2 Pages 125-130
Background & Aims: Ice massage is used to stimulate the oral cavity and pharynx to improve the swallowing function; however, there is no specific device for this purpose. Therefore, we created an Ice Stick®, a special device for ice massage, and investigated whether it was more effective than the conventional massage method.
Methods: The subjects were 36 patients who were diagnosed with dysphagia. They were randomly divided into two groups: the Ice Stick® group and the conventional approach group. A 30-second repeated saliva-swallowing test was performed before and after ice massage, and the changes in the number of swallows and the latency of the first swallowing time were compared between the two groups.
Results: Both groups showed an increase in the number of swallows and a shortening of the latency of the first swallow after the ice massage. However, there were no significant differences in the change in the number of swallows or the latency.
Conclusion: Although we did not find that the Ice Stick® is more effective for dysphagia, the swallowing-enhancing effect of ice massage is certain, and as a dedicated device, the Ice stick® would contribute to the widespread use of ice massage on more occasions.
