Not all but most swallowing difficulties can be treated. One of the many factors that may determine the prognosis of recovery is the complexity of the medical condition(s) and/or treatment(s) causing the swallowing difficulties. Some of the common medical condition(s) that may cause complex swallowing difficulties include:-
- multiple strokes / brain or nerve related diseases – neurodegenerative diseases (i.e. Multiple system atrophy, multiple sclerosis)
- brainstem stroke (i.e. Lateral medullary syndrome)
- head and neck cancer following a surgical operation
- late effects from radiotherapy to the head and neck
- trauma to the head and neck region following road traffic accident
To treat complex severe swallowing difficulties, it takes a lot more than just performing swallowing exercises. An experienced clinician with good clinical reasoning skills, and a multidisciplinary team approach are usually required. At Singapore Swallowing Specialists, our speech-swallowing therapists and our multidisciplinary partners have vast experience in in managing complex swallowing difficulties.
Our founder, Mr Yoon is a known trainer for complex dysphagia management in Singapore and in the region.
Singapore Swallowing Specialists 