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The Effects Of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training On Swallowing And Voice Measures In Healthy Older Adults, Adam Follmer

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of a four week expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) exercise program on healthy older adults (65-79 years). The investigators were interested in possible changes to the swallowing and voice production systems, both of which are in the scope of practice for a speech language pathologist. Specific voice variables included maximum phonation time, conversational intensity level, and upper and lower limits of available intensity range. Swallowing variables were related to tongue function and included maximum isometric pressure and mean swallowing pressure. Finally, maximum expiratory pressure was measured as a comparative value to other EMST studies. A …