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Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Dysphagia

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Electroceuticals

Abstract

Dysphagia is the term used to describe swallowing disorders usually resulting from a neurological or physical impairment of the oral, pharyngeal or oesophageal mechanisms. Difficulty with swallowing may have life threatening consequences and can lead to an impaired quality of life. Electrical stimulation has recently become of interest to clinicians working with people presenting with dysphagia due to its rehabilitation potential especially for pharyngeal stage swallowing disorders. The electro-therapies for dysphagia can be divided into two main groups; those that are peripherally delivered and those where the stimulation is delivered cortically. This chapter outlines a number of electro-therapies as treatment approaches for dysphagia. The rationale for the use of each technique in the treatment of dysphagia is explained and an overview of the current published literature reported.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Speech and Language Therapy Department, Sheffield, UK

    Sue Pownall PhD, BSc (Hons), FRCSLT

  2. University of Sheffield, School of Health and Related Research, Sheffield, UK

    Pam Enderby PhD, DSc (Hon), MSc, FRCSLT

  3. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, NIHR Devices for Dignity HTC, Sheffield, UK

    Lise Sproson MSc, B.Med.Sci (Hons), MRCSLT

Authors
  1. Sue Pownall PhD, BSc (Hons), FRCSLT
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  2. Pam Enderby PhD, DSc (Hon), MSc, FRCSLT
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  3. Lise Sproson MSc, B.Med.Sci (Hons), MRCSLT
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sue Pownall PhD, BSc (Hons), FRCSLT .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom

    Arshad Majid

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Pownall, S., Enderby, P., Sproson, L. (2017). Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Dysphagia. In: Majid, A. (eds) Electroceuticals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28612-9_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28612-9_6

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