The Effectiveness of Vibration Stimulation on Oropharyngeal Function Related to Swallowing: A Systematic Review

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 MSc, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Musculoskeletal Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Medical Library and Information Sciences, Health Information Technology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

10.48305/jims.v43.i824.0880

Abstract

Background: Various approaches are used to manage dysphagia. Vibratory stimulation is a non-invasive therapeutic technique that has recently gained attention in dysphagia rehabilitation. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of vibratory stimulation on oropharyngeal function related to swallowing.
Methods: The databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest were searched until November 2022. Only English-language studies investigating the effect of vibratory stimulation on oropharyngeal functions related to swallowing were included. The methodological quality of the included articles was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Articles that scored above 50% were included for data extraction.
Findings: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 9 studies were identified, and after quality assessment, data were extracted from 7 articles. These studies had investigated the effect of vibratory stimulation on controlling drooling, oropharyngeal dysphagia symptoms in patients, and the swallowing mechanism in healthy individuals.
Conclusion: The results of studies indicated that vibratory stimulation has therapeutic potential to be added to the conventional rehabilitation treatments. But there are still many questions about the frequency of vibration, target muscles, duration and frequency of treatment, as well as the underlying pathophysiology of swallowing disorder. Therefore, further clinical trial studies with sufficient sample size are required before this method can be recommended for use in clinical settings.

Highlights

Marziyeh Poorjavad: Google Scholar, PubMed

Rasool Nouri: Google Scholar, PubMed

Keywords

References

  1. Alali D, Ballard K, Bogaardt H. Treatment effects for dysphagia in adults with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review. Dysphagia 2016; 31(5): 610-8.
  2. Derkay CS, Schechter GL. Anatomy and physiology of pediatric swallowing disorders. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 1998; 31(3): 397-404.
  3. Shaw SM, Martino R. The normal swallow: muscular and neurophysiological control. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2013; 46(6): 937-56.
  4. Sasegbon A, Hamdy S. The anatomy and physiology of normal and abnormal swallowing in oropharyngeal dysphagia. Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017; 29(11): e13100.
  5. Jean A. Brain stem control of swallowing: neuronal network and cellular mechanisms. Physiol Rev 2001; 81(2): 929-69.
  6. Ertekin C, Aydogdu I. Neurophysiology of swallowing. Clin Neurophysiol 2003; 114(12): 2226-44.
  7. McCarty EB, Chao TN. Dysphagia and swallowing disorders. Med Clin North Am 2021; 105(5): 939-54.
  8. Jung Y-J, Kim H-J, Choi J-B, Park J-S, Hwang N-K. Effect of dysphagia rehabilitation using kinesiology taping on oropharyngeal muscle hypertrophy in post-stroke patients: a double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Healthcare (Basel) 2020; 8(4): 411.
  9. Sura L, Madhavan A, Carnaby G, Crary MA. Dysphagia in the elderly: management and nutritional considerations. Clin Interv Aging 2012; 7: 287-98.
  10. Poorjavad M, Jalaie S. Systemic review on highly qualified screening tests for swallowing disorders following stroke: validity and reliability issues. J Res Med Sci 2014; 19(8): 776-85.
  11. Roden DF, Altman KW. Causes of dysphagia among different age groups: a systematic review of the literature. Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2013; 46(6): 965-87.
  12. Byeon H, Koh HW. Comparison of treatment effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and thermal-tactile stimulation on patients with sub-acute dysphagia caused by stroke. J Phys Ther Sci 2016; 28(6): 1809-12.
  13. Huckabee M-L, Flynn R, Mills M. Expanding rehabilitation options for dysphagia: skill-based swallowing training. Dysphagia 2023; 38(3): 756-67.
  14. Poorjavad M, Derakhshandeh F, Etemadifar M, Soleymani B. Associated Factors with Swallowing Disorders in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis [in Persian]. J Isfahan Med Sch 2010; 28(104): 44-51.
  15. Tavakoli S, Poorjavad M, Taheri N, Ghasisin L, Etemadifar M, Memarian A. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Conjunction with Conventional Swallowing Therapy in the Treatment of Dysphagia Caused by Multiple Sclerosis: A Single-Case Experimental Design. Folia Phoniatr Logop 2023; 75(5): 350-62.
  16. Poorjavad M, Talebian Moghadam S, Ansari NN. Effects of the head lift exercise and neuromuscular electrical stimulation on swallowing muscles activity in healthy older adults: a randomized pilot study. Clinical interventions in Aging 2019; 14: 1131-40.
  17. Humbert IA, Fitzgerald ME, McLaren DG, Johnson S, Porcaro E, Kosmatka K, et al. Neurophysiology of swallowing: effects of age and bolus type. Neuroimage 2009; 44(3): 982-91.
  18. Galluccio C, Pazzaglia C, Spaccatrosi S, Giovannini S, Castelli L, Padua L. Focal Vibration in dysphagia: a technological treatment for Severe Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation. J Oral Rehabil 2023; 50(8): 679-86.
  19. Crary MA, Carnaby GD, LaGorio LA, Carvajal PJ. Functional and physiological outcomes from an exercise-based dysphagia therapy: a pilot investigation of the McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2012; 93(7): 1173-8.
  20. Steele CM. Exercise-based approaches to dysphagia rehabilitation. Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser 2012; 72: 109-17.
  21. Rogus-Pulia N, Connor NP. Muscle strengthening approaches to dysphagia rehabilitation. Curr Phys Med Rehabil Rep 2016; 4: 277-86.
  22. Russo EF, Calabrò RS, Sale P, Vergura F, Maria C, Militi A, et al. Can muscle vibration be the future in the treatment of cerebral palsy-related drooling? A feasibility study. Int J Med Sci 2019; 16(11): 1447-52.
  23. Kamarunas E, Mulheren R, Wong SM, Griffin L, Ludlow CL. The Feasibility of Home-Based Treatment Using Vibratory Stimulation in Chronic Severe Dysphagia. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2022; 31(6): 2539-56.
  24. Aromataris E, Munn Z. JBI manual for evidence synthesis. 2024. Available from: https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/space/MANUAL
  25. López-Liria R, Parra-Egeda J, Vega-Ramírez FA, Aguilar-Parra JM, Trigueros-Ramos R, Morales-Gázquez MJ, et al. Treatment of dysphagia in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020; 17(11): 4104.
  26. Grant L. The use of a manual vibrator in the speech therapy program of four school-age mentally retarded children. J Commun Disord 1982; 15(5): 375-83.
  27. White KD. A comparison of vibrotactile and air puff stimulation for inducing swallowing. [Thesis]. Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; 2012.
  28. Mulheren RW, Ludlow CL. Vibration over the larynx increases swallowing and cortical activation for swallowing. J Neurophysiol 2017; 118(3): 1698-708.
  29. Hegyi Szynkiewicz S, Mulheren RW, Palmore KW, O'Donoghue CR, Ludlow CL. Using devices to upregulate nonnutritive swallowing in typically developing infants. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2016; 121(4): 831-7.
  30. Kamarunas E, Wong SM, Ludlow CL. Laryngeal vibration increases spontaneous swallowing rates in chronic oropharyngeal dysphagia: a proof-of-principle pilot study. Dysphagia 2019; 34(5): 640-53.
  31. Nagaoka M, Suzuki H, Kanayama K, Ozone Y. Inability to close mouth and dysphagia caused by pseudobulbar palsy: trial treatment by vibration-induced mastication-like movement. BMJ Case Rep 2019; 12(12): e232061.
Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 43, Issue 824
4th Week, September
September and October 2025
Pages 880-892

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 27 October 2024
  • Accept Date: 05 October 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics