Treating Dysphagia

The treatment we recommend for our patients depends on the type of dysphagia and what’s causing it, which is why a thorough diagnostic evaluation is so important.

Working the patient’s entire Care Team, our Speech Language Pathologists may recommend:

  • Swallowing exercises
  • Exercises to strengthen facial muscles and improve coordination
  • Specific head positioning that will help the patient swallow more effectively
  • Food/liquid textures and temperatures that are safer and easier to swallow
The patient’s physician may also prescribe medications to treat the medical condition that is causing dysphagia. In some cases, surgery may be required to fix abnormalities of the throat or esophagus.

Patients with severe dysphagia may eventually lose the ability to chew and swallow independently and may require the use of a feeding tube in order to effectively nourish their bodies.