The deviation of the tongue is its deviation to the right or left of the midline. If a healthy person is asked to stick his tongue out, he will easily do this, and he will be located exactly in the middle of the oral cavity. If the sublingual nerve somehow does not work correctly, then it will be possible to observe the deviation of the organ of speech.
It is disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system that lead to problems in the functioning of the muscles of the tongue, and sometimes the face. Most often, such changes occur due to brain diseases, for example, due to a stroke.
What is a stroke?
Stroke - a violation of the blood circulation of the brain, coupled with neurological symptoms that do not go away for several months. This is a very serious disease, in which in a quarter of cases a fatal outcome occurs. The same proportion of patients become disabled first degree. And some people who have had a stroke are gradually returning to normal. However, this takes a lot of time, because in most cases, patients need to re-learn how to move and talk. Often, patients find themselves bedridden and cannot take care of themselves on their own.
Tongue deviation during a stroke is just one of the symptoms that can occur. As a rule, cerebral hemorrhage is very strongly reflected in the patient’s neurotic state, and in addition to deviation of the organ of speech, atrophy of the muscles of the face, inability to move limbs on the one hand, and sometimes complete paralysis of the body or its individual parts can occur. Tongue deviation in stroke causes severe speech impairment. Is it possible to fully rehabilitate, get rid of the disease and how to do it?
What could be the causes of language deviation?
Why is there a deviation of the language to the left? The reasons for this are rooted in neurology. Deviation can occur due to improper functioning of the hyoid nerve. In this case, the muscles of the organ of speech on the left side become significantly weaker than on the right. Therefore, when the tongue is pushed out of the oral cavity outward, it shifts to a weaker side. Similarly, the deviation of the tongue to the right occurs.
Also, deviation can appear due to roughness of the face, when the facial muscles on the one hand are much stronger. In such cases, when protruding the tongue, it will also shift to one side. In some cases, this happens completely unnoticed, and sometimes the pathology is visible very well. However, the language itself is functioning normally, and its muscles on both sides have the same strength.
Diagnosis of language deviation
Diagnosing the presence of language deviation is not always easy. But in most cases, the patient simply needs to stick it out. Having seen the deviation, the doctor can conclude which side of the muscle is weaker. For example, if there is a deviation of the tongue to the right, the reasons lie in the fact that this area of the face is less strong.
However, deviation is not always associated with brain diseases. Sometimes, such deviations can be explained by insufficient development of facial muscles of the face on the one hand.
To determine what the doctor is dealing with, the patient is usually asked to make a quick movement of the tongue in both directions. In this case, it will be seen with what force these manipulations are performed.
If such measures do not help, then the patient should be asked to press the tongue on both cheeks from the inside in turn. For example, a specialist diagnoses the right side. He checks the force of pressure with the help of a hand from the outside of the right cheek, trying to counteract the force of the tongue. In this case, the specialist will be able to evaluate how his muscles work and to understand whether there is a deviation of the tongue to the right.
Tongue deviation treatment
It should be noted that deviation is not an independent disease, it is only a symptom manifested as a result of other diseases. Therefore, getting rid of this manifestation depends entirely on the treatment of the disease that caused it. In the event that the cause is a stroke, which happens most often, it is necessary to eliminate the blood supply disturbances of the brain. As soon as this problem is eliminated, the nerves will return to normal, and, therefore, the symptoms associated with neurology will also disappear. If the matter is in the facial muscles of the face, it is necessary to consult a doctor and, with the help of special exercises, develop muscles that are behind the other side.
Baby language deviation
A stroke or a curvature of the muscles of the face is an unprecedented phenomenon for a child, but children also encounter language deviation. As a rule, the cause of this symptom is dysarthria or erased dysarthria.
This disease is caused by a disturbance in the signal from the brain to the muscles of the articulation apparatus. In this case, the wrong nerve signal can affect both the muscles of the face of the child and the tongue.
Not many children face this phenomenon. However, all the cases were recorded. Most of those suffering from such disorders look like completely healthy children, and only a doctor is able to determine that the child has dysarthria.
Symptoms of dysarthria in a child
With impaired transmission of the nerve signal, the child's face becomes inactive and does not express any emotions with the help of facial expressions. The patient's lips are often pursed, the corners are lowered down, a similar facial expression is preserved in the child almost constantly.
In severe cases, due to the disease, the child cannot close his mouth and keep his tongue in the oral cavity. Also, with dysarthria, the patient often has a deviation of the tongue. If you ask the baby to stick out the organ of speech, then it will be noted that it is difficult for the child to keep it on the midline. The tongue shakes slightly and deviates to the side.
The difference between dysarthria and erased dysarthria
As a rule, with dysarthria, pronounced inactivity of the face is observed, which is very easy to notice on the face of the child. Other signs can also be noted, such as a lack of coordination in hand movements and disorientation in space. Basically, children with dysarthria do not like to draw, sculpt from plasticine or any other type of activity that requires the use of fine motor skills.
However, there are more and more children who cope well with any kind of activity, love to draw and do creative work. At the same time, they have mobile facial expressions, they smile a lot, laugh and are no different from an ordinary healthy child. The only thing that gives the presence of dysarthria is the deviation of the tongue. As a rule, in children suffering from this disease, the tongue is quite thick. If you ask a child to stick it out of his mouth, you will notice that his tongue shakes and deviates to the side. The manifestation of such symptoms in medicine is called erased dysarthria.
Combines both diseases slurred speech. The child can lisp, swallow some sounds. At the same time, it is quite difficult to understand what the child is saying. Speech is extremely illegible and inarticulate.
How does dysarthria affect the psyche of a child?
Basically, all children suffering from worn or severe dysarthria have an unstable psyche. They are characterized by frequent mood swings, throwing from one extreme to another. A child can be, on the one hand, excessively vulnerable, constantly cry because of trifles, on the other hand, it can become aggressive, rude to adults, and conflict with peers. Such children are rarely good students, as a rule, they are inattentive and do not delve into the essence of education.
How to get rid of the deviation of the tongue of the child?
In order to get rid of the deviation of the tongue in the child, a comprehensive treatment is necessary. Many parents believe that with erased dysarthria, only trips to a speech therapist will be enough, which will help the child pronounce the words correctly. However, the diagnosis in this case is made by a neurologist and he should also prescribe treatment. As a rule, the child is prescribed not only classes with a speech therapist and training the correct pronunciation of sounds, but also a massage course for the neck, collar zone and chin. Also often used in therapy is face massage with hands and probe massage of the tongue. In this case, it is simply impossible to achieve a result with the help of any medications; regular exposure to the source of a nerve impulse is necessary.
The treatment of language deviation in both an adult and a child is primarily in the treatment of a disease that causes the tongue to deviate from the midline. It is impossible to get rid of this problem without comprehensive measures. Doctors often recommend combining therapy aimed at the disease itself, as well as symptomatic treatment, which mainly includes massages and training. These measures will allow you to quickly return the tongue and facial muscles to normal. It is necessary to pay special attention to the deviation of the tongue in the child, since it is often possible to determine the presence of the disease only on this basis.
The main thing is timely treatment, because, otherwise, complications may develop. The most common are - the development of slurred speech, difficulties in pronunciation of words, the inability to pronounce any words (loss of speech).