Posture

Oral breathing and a narrow palate have an impact on our posture. Indeed, this type of breathing is linked to a low position of the tongue, its lack of tone and consequently to a narrowing of the pharynx. To breathe properly, we are then forced to compensate for this narrowing by changing our head psition (forward, up…) to a horse’s neck.

This attitude is typical of the glossoptotic described as early as 1920 by Dr. Pierre Robin.

Description

When a person breathes through their mouth, the low tongue causes a lack of tone that decreases the diameter of the pharynx and limits the passage of air through the throat. To compensate this narrowing, the oral respirator changes its posture and tilts its head forward or upwards during sleep.

Consequences

In the long term, people who breathe through their mouths can permanently adopt an advanced head position. To compensate this head position and balance the body, it adopts a sluggish posture, characterized by a deep chest and a forward belly.

Because of the muscle chains that run through the body from head to toe, the tongue influences the posture of the entire body.

For more information on the links between tongue and posture, discover the article written by M. Vanpoulle, Physiotherapist-Osteopath specialized in maxillo-facial therapy: article