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Speech therapy is a pedagogical science that studies the issues of speech disorders. Doctors use different ways to prevent and correct existing speech disorders. Including massage. It helps to directly affect the desired areas, improving muscle tone, activating the speech centers.
Speech therapy massage is done with fingers or devices. These can be spatulas, toothbrushes (necessarily with soft bristles), probes, and other devices.
Usually, parents with children who have problems with speech development turn to speech therapists. But speech therapists also work with adults, including using speech therapy massage to correct congenital or acquired speech defects. These include dysarthria (a problem with the pronunciation of certain words or sounds), stuttering, voice disorders. A course of massage is usually recommended by a neurologist after a preliminary diagnosis.
Some massage options are performed only in a special room, where there is the necessary equipment, some are performed at home after training.
The benefits of speech therapy massage for adults
Speech therapy massage is a therapeutic procedure that affects certain points and affects the work of certain body systems (especially the speech center and muscles). The main direction in speech therapy massage is the stimulation of those tissues and organs that are involved in articulation, pronunciation of sounds. This allows you to restore normal sound pronunciation. The main benefits of this massage:
- normalization of muscle tone of the speech-forming apparatus;
- elimination of the influence of paresis (paralysis) that affect speech production and facial expressions;
- overcoming or maximum correction of synkinesias (involuntary movements that appear synchronously with other movements) or hypokinesias (lack of movements);
- improvement of articulatory motility;
- involvement in speech reproduction of all the necessary muscles;
- formation of coordinated movements of all organs of articulation.
In addition, speech therapy massage in adults also gives general effects – the work of the nervous system is stimulated due to irritation of the nerve endings, blood circulation and lymph drainage improve, and the elasticity of muscle fibers normalizes. Active influence on certain points stimulates different centers of the brain. Massage movements relax, help relieve stress, tune in to effective classes.
Harm of speech therapy massage for adults
Massage affects only the muscles, eliminating the consequences, but not the causes of speech disorders. If a person has an increased sensitivity to touch, then discomfort will be felt from the procedure, negative reactions are possible that will nullify all efforts.
Contraindications for speech therapy massage for adults
As with any other procedures and types of massage, speech therapy has its own contraindications. If they are present, no intervention is made. It:
- any kind of febrile conditions;
- SARS and other infections;
- conjunctivitis and eye diseases (without the permission of an ophthalmologist);
- various skin processes in the affected area;
- exacerbation of herpes;
- any form of stomatitis.
Very carefully massage is carried out in the presence of epilepsy.
How to do speech therapy massage for adults at home
It is possible to carry out self-massage at home, but only after the specialist teaches the correct techniques that were previously used in the sessions.
Initially, the speech therapist shows the necessary techniques and controls their implementation, then only controls without intervention, and only then can these techniques be performed at home.
Popular questions and answers
Answered typical questions about speech therapy massage speech therapist Anna Shargina.