Imagética motora associada à terapia miofuncional orofacial em pacientes submetidos à cirurgia ortognática: relato de caso

Abstract

Introduction: Motor imagery (MI) has been used in rehabilitation as a strategy combined with physical practice, with the aim of optimizing the patient's clinical responses. It is understood by a mentally represented movement, that is, an action that is imagined before being executed, involving the planning and execution of the movements. When considering the patient who undergoes orthognathic surgery, it is known that the individual needs to relearn how to perform the functions of the stomatognathic system. Since he already has the working memory of that action, however, in this condition the structure was changed. For this reason, orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) aims to restore a functional pattern to the new dentofacial condition. Given the above, the present study seeks to describe the speech therapy treatment based on the use of motor imagery associated with OMT in the outcomes of rehabilitation of mandibular movements and the balance of masticatory function for patients undergoing orthognathic surgery. Objective: To describe a clinical case in which the motor imagery strategy associated with orofacial myofunctional therapy was used in a patient undergoing orthognathic surgery. Clinical case presentation: male, 26 years old, underwent orthognathic surgery with mandibular advancement (2mm) and chin advancement (4mm) to correct a class II facial pattern. Conclusion: He was followed up by a speech therapist from the second day after surgery The data obtained at the end of the 10 sessions showed that the therapeutic strategy addressed was positive in the rehabilitation process in general, the patient showed a considerable evolution in performance and in the weekly evaluations after the introduction of MI. Showing improvement in mandibular range of motion and masticatory function.