Adult Swallowing Evaluation & Treatment

Advanced Therapy Solutions provides adult swallowing evaluations and treatment for individuals who have difficulty eating, drinking, or swallowing safely. Swallowing difficulties, also called dysphagia, can affect nutrition, hydration, comfort, and overall quality of life.

Our specialized Speech-Language Pathologists assess swallowing function and develop individualized treatment plans to help patients eat and drink as safely and comfortably as possible.

You may benefit from a swallowing evaluation if you experience:

-Coughing or choking while eating or drinking
-A wet or gurgly voice after meals
-Food or liquid feeling stuck in the throat
-Frequent throat clearing
-Difficulty swallowing pills
-Unexplained weight loss or dehydration
-Recurrent pneumonia or respiratory infections
-Avoiding certain foods or liquids because they are hard to swallow

We offer clinical swallowing assessments to better understand your concerns and help determine the next steps in your care.

During this assessment, a Speech-Language Pathologist reviews your medical history and swallowing symptoms, examines the muscles and movements involved in swallowing, and, when appropriate, observes you eating and drinking. This helps identify signs of swallowing difficulty, also called dysphagia, and determine whether further testing is needed.

A clinical assessment cannot show everything happening inside the throat. When a closer look is needed, we can:

• Perform FEES in our office. A Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing uses a small, flexible camera passed through the nose to view the throat and assess swallowing with foods and liquids. This evaluation does not use radiation.
• Refer you for an MBSS. A Modified Barium Swallow Study uses moving X-ray images to show how foods and liquids mixed with barium move through the mouth and throat during swallowing. It is completed at a facility with specialized imaging equipment.

We use the findings to guide individualized recommendations, which may include swallowing therapy, strategies to support safer eating and drinking, or additional referrals.

• Swallowing exercises

• Strengthening and coordination training

• Diet texture recommendations (when appropriate)

• Safe feeding strategies

• Caregiver education

• Compensatory swallowing techniques

• Ampcare ESP - Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)

• Myofascial Release and Manual Therapy techniques

Our priority is helping individuals eat and drink safely while maintaining dignity and quality of life.

 At Advanced Therapy Solutions, we believe therapy should be:

• Individualized

• Evidence-based

• Functional and goal-oriented

• Collaborative with family and caregivers

• Focused on independence and quality of life

We emphasize carryover strategies so progress extends beyond the therapy room.

When appropriate, services can be coordinated with Occupational Therapy and Lymphedema Therapy to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care.

Our goal is to help adults improve swallowing safety, maintain nutrition and hydration, and feel more confident during meals.

Contact Advanced Therapy Solutions to learn more or schedule a swallowing evaluation.