Infections: A cough can remain even after other symptoms of a cold, throat infection or chest infection have gone. Kahrilas PJ, Lin S, Logemann JA, Ergun GA, Facchini F. Deglutitive tongue action: Volume accommodation and bolus propulsion. Gastroenterology. 1993;104:152–62. Crow HC, Ship JA. Tongue strength and endurance in different aged individuals. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1996;51:M247–50. Pedrazzi V, et al. (2004). Tongue-cleaning methods: A comparative clinical trial employing a toothbrush and a tongue scraper. DOI: Devol DL, et al. Activation of insulin-like growth factor gene expression during work-induced skeletal muscle growth. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 1990;259(1):E89–E95.

Namiki C, et al. Tongue-pressure resistance training improves tongue and suprahyoid muscle functions simultaneously. Clin Interv Aging. 2019;14:601–8. Ono T, Hori K, Nokubi T. Pattern of tongue pressure on hard palate during swallowing. Dysphagia. 2004;19:259–64. Several studies point to the benefits of cleaning your tongue: Reduces sulfur compounds that cause bad breath Argolo N, et al. Do swallowing exercises improve swallowing dynamic and quality of life in Parkinson's disease? NeuroRehabilitation. 2013;32:949–55. The five palatine muscles originate either from the base of the skull or the pharyngeal walls and reach the soft palate by travelling in various directions. They all insert to the palatine aponeurosis, either directly, or indirectly by blending with each other.Park JS, et al. Effect of head lift exercise on kinematic motion of the hyolaryngeal complex and aspiration in patients with dysphagic stroke. J Oral Rehabil. 2017;44(5):385–91. Note that the vagus nerve (CN X) via its superior laryngeal branch provides both general and special sensory innervation to the part of the tongue that is directly in front of the epiglottis. Lingual papillae Mishra A, et al. The recline exercise: comparisons with the head lift exercise in healthy adults. Dysphagia. 2015;30(6):730–7. Oh JC. A pilot study of the head extension swallowing exercise: new method for strengthening swallowing-related muscle activity. Dysphagia. 2016;31(5):680–6.

Robbins J, et al. The effects of lingual exercise on swallowing in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005;53(9):1483–9. Hayashi R, Tsuga K, Hosokawa R, Yoshida M, Sato Y, Akagawa Y. A novel handy probe for tongue pressure measurement. Int J Prosthodont. 2002;15:385–8. Malandraki GA, et al. The intensive dysphagia rehabilitation approach applied to patients with neurogenic dysphagia: a case series design study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016;97(4):567–74. Lazarus C, Logemann JA, Huang CF, Rademaker AW. Effects of two types of tongue strengthening exercises in young normals. Folia Phoniatr Logop. 2003;55:199–205.

Why might I need tongue-strengthening exercises?

The taste buds of the soft palate are innervated by the greater petrosal nerve, a branch of the facial nerve (CN VII). The mucous glands of the soft palate are parasympathetically innervated by the postganglionic fibers from the otic ganglion. They reach the soft palate via the lesser petrosal branch of glossopharyngeal nerve. To easily remember their origins, just pay attention the their names. For example, the hyoglossus muscle: hyo- suggests the origin from the hyoid bone, while the -glossus is from the Greek ‘glossa’, meaning ‘tongue’, where this muscle inserts. ‘Stylo-’ refers to the styloid process and ‘palato-’ refers to the palate. ‘Genio-’ on the other hand references the Greek ‘geneion’ for ‘chin’. Key facts about the extrinsic muscles of the tongue Genioglossus If you have a cough that produces sputum or phlegm you may also be referred to a physiotherapist who will show you ways you can remove sputum using airway clearance techniques. Hegland KW, et al. Rehabilitation of swallowing and cough functions following stroke: an expiratory muscle strength training trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2016;97(8):1345–51. Ohkawara K, et al. A dose–response relation between aerobic exercise and visceral fat reduction: systematic review of clinical trials. Int J Obes. 2007;31(12):1786.

Rhea MR, et al. A meta-analysis to determine the dose response for strength development. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35(3):456–64. Crary MA, Mann GDC, Groher ME. Initial psychometric assessment of a functional oral intake scale for dysphagia in stroke patients. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005;86(8):1516–20. As previously said, taste buds contain the gustatory receptors cells which allow us to detect taste. The receptors are found within the lingual papillae, and they allow us to detect five types of taste: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. Neuroepithelial cells – sensory cells that extend from the basal lamina to the taste pore. Their microvilli project into the pore and detect chemical stimuli (taste) from food. They synapse with the facial, glossopharyngeal, or vagus nerve to send taste information to the central nervous system Park JS, Oh DH, Chang MY. Effect of expiratory muscle strength training on swallowing-related muscle strength in community-dwelling elderly individuals: a randomized controlled trial. Gerodontology. 2017;34(1):121–8.Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) Vertigo (spinning sensation), dizziness, nausea, facial flushing, weakness Wakabayashi H, et al. The effects of resistance training of swallowing muscles on dysphagia in older people: a cluster, randomized, controlled trial. Nutrition. 2018;48:111–6. On the other hand, every organ specialized for a specific sensation, like the tongue is for taste, also has special sensory innervation. The senses of taste and olfaction (smell) are carried by special visceral afferent fibers in cranial nerves. The sense of taste is mediated by the facial (CN VII) and glossopharyngeal (CN IX) nerves. Even though taste receptors and their innervation will be discussed in the following sections of this article, right now, for the sake of the later recap, take the following two sentences for granted: Millichap F, Lee M, Pring T. A lump in the throat: Should speech and language therapists treat globus pharyngeus? Disabil Rehabil. 2005;27(3):124–30. Yoshida M, Kikutani T, Tsuga K, Utanohara Y, Hayashi R, Akagawa Y. Decreased tongue pressure reflects symptom dysphagia. Dysphagia. 2006;21:61–5.

Inhale and hold your breath very tightly. Bear down like you are having a bowel movement. Keep holding your breath and bearing down as you swallow. This is called a super-supraglottic swallow. Repeat a few times. Reyes A, et al. Respiratory muscle training on pulmonary and swallowing function in patients with Huntington's disease: a pilot randomised controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2015;29(10):961–73. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/basic-remedies-relieve-hairy-tongue-and-other-common-tongue-changes/Park HS, et al. Effect of effortful swallowing training on tongue strength and oropharyngeal swallowing function in stroke patients with dysphagia: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2019;54(3):479–84. The American Dental Association does not equate tongue cleaning with the reduction of bad breath, but it does conclude that cleaning your tongue can contribute to a fresher-feeling mouth that you might enjoy. Reduces plaque