Trismus in Head & Neck Cancer
Posted by Sarah Schuman, MS, CCC-SLP on 5/25/2018 to
Head & Neck Cancer, Radiation Therapy
Trismus, or restriction to mouth opening, has many implications including difficulty speaking, eating, maintaining oral hygiene, receiving dental procedures and may even affect intubation. Typical measure of mouth opening is 50 mm and highly correlated to body size. An opening of 35mm or less is considered trismus. Trismus is preventable and treatable by engaging in exercise therapy and treatment using jaw motion rehab systems such as the OraStretch® press.