A comparison of the head lift exercise and recline exercise in patients with chronic head and neck cancer post-radiation

Background Patients who undergo surgery and adjuvant radiation treatment for head and neck cancer often develop dysphagia as a result of this treatment. Improvements in swallow function may be achieved with exercise. The goal of this pilot study was to compare the effectiveness and perceived difficu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer 2021-09, Vol.29 (9), p.5409-5416
Main Authors: Larsen, Alyssa M., Wolford, Laura L., Brobeck, Teresa C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjuvant treatment
Analysis
Cancer
Cancer surgery
Care and treatment
Deglutition disorders
Dysphagia
Exercise
Head & neck cancer
Head and neck cancer
Medical research
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Medicine, Experimental
Nursing
Nursing Research
Oncology
Original Article
Pain Medicine
Patient compliance
Physical therapy
Radiation
Radiation therapy
Radiotherapy
Rehabilitation Medicine
Side effects
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Summary:Background Patients who undergo surgery and adjuvant radiation treatment for head and neck cancer often develop dysphagia as a result of this treatment. Improvements in swallow function may be achieved with exercise. The goal of this pilot study was to compare the effectiveness and perceived difficulty of using the head lift exercise and the recline exercise to activate the suprahyoid musculature in 8 individuals with a history of head and neck cancer. Method Muscle activation using surface electromyography was examined to determine if the recline exercise activates the suprahyoid muscle groups to the same degree as the head lift exercise. Participants also rated the exertion they experienced to assess how easily patients are able to complete the exercises. Results The majority of participants completed both exercises in their entirety on their first attempt. However, ratings of perceived exertion were significantly lower for the recline exercise than the head lift exercise. The head lift exercise activated the suprahyoid musculature to a significantly greater degree than the recline exercise. Conclusion The recline exercise, in comparison with the head lift exercise, is easier for participants to complete and results in significantly reduced perceptions of fatigue. Results of this study indicate that the recline exercise may be a good potential substitute for the head lift exercise in patient populations that are incapable of performing the head lift exercise, but that the head lift exercise should be prescribed whenever it is viable as it activates target musculature more effectively than the recline exercise.
ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-020-05925-9