Exploring the Efficacy of the Effortful Swallow Maneuver for Improving Swallowing in People With Parkinson Disease-A Pilot Study.

This was a pilot case series with no control group, so it cannot show that the intervention caused the changes. Only five participants completed the intervention, and three did not qualify, so the results are very limited. The participants differed in disease duration, severity, diet, and baseline swallowing profile, which makes group conclusions difficult. The analysis used the worst score for each task and liquid thickness, which can bias the result and ignores how often or how much scores varied. Home practice was largely virtual and compliance was only checked with homework logs, so the dose actually received is uncertain. The paper reported no clear relation between patient-reported dysphagia and baseline swallowing findings or improvement. The intervention included effortful swallow practice, tongue-pressure feedback, and liquid-thickening instruction, so the contribution of each component cannot be separated.

Do not conclude that the effortful swallow improves swallowing in Parkinson disease. This was a small case series with no control group, and responses were mixed: four of five participants improved on at least one measure, but some scores worsened and no consistent pattern was found.