Yes! Exercises Can Widen The UES
Widen the UES by strengthening the muscles that pull the larynx up during the swallow.
As you can see in the diagram, during the swallow, the larynx moves upwards and forwards, and closes over the airway. Since it is attached to the esophagus UES, as it moves, it pulls on one side of the UES, to widen the UES opening during the swallow (the red circle in the diagram).
Then, as the larynx goes back into it’s normal resting position, the airway opens again, and it moves the esophagus opening back into a closed position.
You can see how the strength or weakness of these muscles might affect how much the esophagus opens during the swallow. And, in fact research has proven this to be true. As these muscles are strengthened, the esophagus opens more.
What if your esophagus UES is small because of radiation therapy? Would exercises still work to widen the UES during the swallow? Yes, exercises have been shown to improve esophageal opening in patients who have had radiation therapy.
A stronger pull on the UES with every swallow helps to maximize the potential of your esophagus to open, and this can stretch your esophagus to open more and more over time.
Are the exercises hard to do? Not at all! It is as simple as nodding your head, but with a resistance device to make it a little harder to nod your head. There is another exercise that is just opening and closing your mouth, but with a resistance device.
Does it require a lot of time? No! It only takes a few minutes per day. These little tiny muscles get very tired very quickly. If you want faster progress you could do it twice a day, but once a day is enough to make steady progress for most people.
How long does it take to get better? Most people see significant improvement within 2-4 weeks. Once you achieve maximum results, you can cut back to just a few minutes once a week to maintain your results.
We all know we need to exercise our big muscles to stay strong and healthy and live our best lives as we age and to recover from illnesses, but we usually don’t realize that there are some very important little muscles that need exercise too.
It might be worth investing in a very cool exercise tool that was made especially for this purpose. It’s something you really should use for the rest of your life to make your swallowing exercises fun and easy, to maximize your enjoyment and safety in eating, which is, after all, one of the most important things in life.
Download a free 20 page eBook to learn more.
About the Author: Jolie Parker, M.S.CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist who specializes in the treatment of dysphagia. She is a co-inventor of the PhagiaFlex Device for dysphagia, which has been clinically shown to strengthen the swallow, improve esophageal opening and laryngeal elevation, and widen the UES during the swallow.