A special look into a study – The effect of EMST on Parkinson’s Disease

This blog post will look into a recent study which delved into the impacts of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) on those with Parkinson’s Disease. Many individuals with Parkinson’s Disease experience voice and speech difficulties, usually related to reduced volume of speech, reduced breath support for speech, and difficulty with articulation. One treatment option is EMST – but what does this look like? And what does the research say about its impact on symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease? 

What is Expiratory Muscle Strength Training? 

EMST uses a device (such as an EMST150) that provides resistance when a user exhales forcefully into it. This targets training of the muscles we use to produce exhales, and therefore also to produce speech. EMST devices are used amongst a variety of populations, from athletes and musicians, to those with neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease. 

What does the research say? 

A recent study by Antonsson et al. (2023) adds to the growing body of evidence that EMST can have meaningful benefits for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease in relation to both communication and swallowing. In the study, participants were largely shown to have improvements in speech loudness, vocal quality, and duration of vocalisation. These gains occur despite EMST being originally designed as a respiratory intervention, rather than being a direct voice treatment. Our breathing and speech mechanisms, as well as our swallowing mechanism, are inherently connected and shared. It is therefore no wonder that strengthening one of these areas can have incidental improvements on the other areas. 

Why does this matter? 

For people with Parkinson’s Disease, EMST can serve as a valuable addition to their existing speech therapy ‘toolkit.’ EMST devices are compact, and it does not take long to engage in the training regime. In fact, many people using an EMST150 do so from the comfort of their favourite lounge chair. Not only does EMST have evidence to show it strengthens breathing, swallowing, and speech, but also enhances one’s ability to communicate with others and their quality of life as a result. 

While EMST isn’t a cure-all for speech and swallowing challenges related to Parkinson’s Disease, it can be part of a greater therapy plan to enhance communication and swallowing ability.  

Reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to explore the idea of incorporating Expiratory Muscle Strength Training into your speech pathology intervention. 

References: 

Antonsson, M., Johansson, K., Bonde Dalemo, A., Ivehorn Axelsson, C., Burge, Å., Lesueur, U., & Hartelius, L. (2023). Effect of expiratory muscle strength training on voice and speech: An exploratory study in persons with Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26(4), 475–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2023.2243402