Efficacy of Electromagnetic Therapy in the Treatment of Cervicogenic Dysphagia: Randomized Single-blind Placebo-Control Study

Swallowing represents an integrated sensorimotor process accomplished by coordinated muscular actions. Cervical spine structures, under normal conditions, play an important role in maintaining coordinated swallowing.

The muscular and neural structures of the cervical spine are responsible for the coordinated movement of the larynx, pharynx, and hyoid bone during swallowing. Sensory information ascends from cervical structures to the brainstem, providing feedback to help synchronize the complex and harmonized contributions of the neck and throat muscles during swallowing. Disruption of this sensory feedback loop can result in coordination deficits and difficulty swallowing.

Biomechanical alterations or degenerative changes in the cervical spine can affect its position and stability. These alterations may further impact the surrounding neural and muscular structures' functions, resulting in a variety of alarming symptoms and dysfunctional patterns that predispose to mechanical obstruction and difficulty swallowing.

Cervicogenic dysphagia (CD) is an alarming disorder characterized by disturbed swallowing secondary to cervical structures dysfunction. Cervical spondylosis and associated pathological consequences can contribute to the development of CD. Cervical spine biomechanical alterations and malalignments, such as cervical kyphosis, a condition commonly encountered in cervical spondylosis, can predispose to pharyngeal dysfunction and difficult swallowing. The combined effects of neck muscular and articular dysfunctions represented in muscle weakness, poor cervical posture, and limited range of motion can disturb the cricopharyngeal sphincter action and the normal laryngeal function, ultimately predisposing to CD.

Although cure of dysphagia is not always possible, conservative approaches can provide an effective path to alleviate patients' complaints. A comprehensive dysphagia management program is not only important to restore normal swallowing function, but also to eliminate the economic burden and the dysphagia-related health hazards.