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Objective. Anecdotal evidence shows that the Shaker exercise and its modifications improve pharyngeal muscle contraction. However, there is no experimental evidence for the same. Thus, the present study examined the effect of modified Shaker exercise on the amplitude and duration of pharyngeal muscle contraction using cervical auscultation.Design. The study follows a cross-sectional study design, where 50 healthy individuals (23 males and 27 females) performed modified Shaker exercise and noneffortful swallow during 10 ml water swallowing. Swallow sound characteristics were analyzed with and without modified Shaker exercise using cervical auscultation.Results. The results of mixed ANOVA revealed significant differences for the amplitude of swallow sound with modified Shaker exercise (mean = 47.24, SD = 20.64) when compared to noneffortful swallow (mean = 28.19, SD = 10.26) atp<0.05. However, no significant difference was obtained for the swallow sound duration with (mean = 0.19, SD = 0.07) and without (mean = 0.18, SD = 0.07) modified Shaker exercise atp>0.05. No significant difference across the genders was also noted atp>0.05.Conclusion. The outcomes of the study suggest that modified Shaker exercise improves the amplitude of pharyngeal muscle contraction. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding using gold standard tools like videofluoroscopy.

Objective: Swallowing experts often implement techniques that alter the breath and swallowing mechanism. However, there is limited understanding regarding the effect of these techniques on the coordination of swallowing and respiration. Hence, the present study examined the respiratory–swallowing coordination in normal adults using tongue‑hold maneuver. Materials and Methods: The study follows a cross‑sectional study design, wherein 25 healthy individuals(8 males and 17 females) within the age range of 18–25 years performed 10 ml water swallow with and without tongue‑hold maneuver. Nasal respiratory flow was recorded, and the duration of the swallow apnea and the phase of respiratory pattern were analyzed. Results: The results of paired t‑test revealed a significant difference for the duration of swallow apnea with tongue‑hold maneuver (mean = 0.782, standard deviation [SD] =0.329) when compared to swallow without tongue‑hold maneuver (mean = 0.60972,SD = 0.188) at P < 0.05. Moreover, the phase of respiration bracketing the swallowing was predominantly expiration in both the swallows. Conclusion: The outcome of the study suggests that tongue‑hold maneuver improves the duration of swallow apnea.