Immediate Effects of Resistance Training on Velopharyngeal Function
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Date
2017-05
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Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Resistance training is known to be an effective way to strengthen a given muscle. Based
on the established principles of the resistance training paradigm, the use of continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP) as a means to strengthen the velopharyngeal closure muscles has shown
some promise. During CPAP therapy, speakers exercise velopharyngeal closure muscles by
having them work against pressurized air from the CPAP device, which acts as a
“weight/resistance.” While there is some evidence supporting the effectiveness of the CPAP
therapy for treating hypernasality secondary to cleft palate and traumatic brain injury,
information regarding proper treatment dosage is largely lacking. This study examined the
immediate effects of individual CPAP therapy sessions with varying pressure levels on the
speakers’ velopharyngeal function, with special emphasis on velopharyngeal orifice size and
velopharyngeal timing parameters. Results from the study showed that CPAP therapy did not
induce any appreciable changes in velopharyngeal orifice size or velopharyngeal timing
parameters among healthy individuals. It was also found that varying pressure levels did not
alter these speakers’ velopharyngeal valving patterns. No appreciable CPAP therapy effects may
partly be attributed to the speakers’ intact velopharyngeal function. That is, velopharyngeal
adjustments might not have been necessary for these speakers to maintain proper speech and
resonance. It is unclear whether individual CPAP therapy sessions would have similarly limited
effects on velopharyngeal function among speakers with velopharyngeal dysfunction, which
needs further investigation.