What Sets Myofunctional Therapy Apart from Myofunctional Exercises?

Let's talk about the difference between myofunctional exercises and myofunctional therapy.

I often hear these terms used interchangeably, for example someone will say that they are doing their own myofunctional therapy when in reality they're following a set of generic videos demonstrating general exercises. So what's the difference?

Let's start with the basic definitions: exercise comes from the root "to practice." Exercise is an activity performed for a specific purpose or skill. Myofunctional exercises are intended to build strength, coordination, and awareness.

Therapy comes from the root "to take care of". Therapy is a treatment plan or intervention intended to improve the health and well-being of an individual. Therapy typically includes exercises as part of treatment, BUT therapy also includes lots of other things like rapport building, motivation, specific feedback, specialized instruction, individualized strategies, and continuous assessment (just to name a few).

And here's the thing- when it comes to myofunctional disorders there's no "one side fits all" approach! I don't give all my clients the same exercises, I don't give them in the same order or assign the same frequency. I'm continuously assessing what's needed to best meet my client's goals.

Also, not all exercise is equal. For example doing an exercise even just slightly incorrectly (using compensation patterns) can actually make the oral function worse not better. I always tell my clients that I'd rather you practice less times, but with 100% accuracy. In other words: Quality over Quantity. Although quantity definitely plays a role in learning new motor patterns, we need to make sure that we're practicing it correctly. And that is very hard to do with limited feedback via a YouTube clip.

And lastly, the principles of motor learning states that the best way to ensure that new motor patterns are habituated and integrated functionally is to combine repetitive practice (exercise) with instructional facilitation (therapy.)

Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns!

www.ameeratherapy.com

Have you also noticed the terms therapy and exercises being used interchangeably?