Effects of chin-up posture on the sequence of swallowing events.
Chin-up posture is frequently used to manage oral dysphagia after head and neck cancer. This prospective study investigates the effects of chin-ups on the sequence of pharyngeal swallowing events.



Twelve healthy young adults performed 45 consecutive swallows of 5 mL water across 3 phases on videofluoroscopy: 5 swallows in the neutral head position; 30 swallows during chin-up posture; and 10 swallows in the neutral head position. Swallowing kinematic and bolus flow measures for 9 swallowing events were recorded. Linear trends were analyzed across 30 chin-up swallows; pairwise comparison was used to compare the 3 phases.



Time to hyoid peak and laryngeal vestibule closure changed abruptly during chin-up swallowing compared to the initial neutral position. No measure changed across 30 chin-up swallows. Time of hyoid burst decreased upon returning to the neutral position.



Our findings indicate that chin-up posture challenges the pharyngeal sequence of events for both swallowing kinematics and bolus flow. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 947-959, 2017.
Department of Neurorehabilitation Sciences, Casa Cura Policlinico, Milano, Italy.|Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.|Swallowing Systems Core, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Irene
I
Calvo
Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.|Swallowing Systems Core, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Kirstyn L
KL
Sunday
Department of Communication Disorders, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Phoebe
P
Macrae
Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.|Swallowing Systems Core, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
Ianessa A
IA
Humbert
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002680:Chin; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology*; D049631:Esophageal Sphincter, Upper / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
adaptation; chin-up; dysphagia; head and neck cancer; swallowing