Question from Alexis: Why can’t some people whistle or blow gum bubbles?
Not so easy to find the right person to answer your question, Alexis. But at the large Charleroi Hospital, Didier Bleeckx and Victoria Marriscal Diaz, physiotherapists, both work at the rehabilitation center, more precisely in the orofacial sphere.
If, in everyday life, we more easily notice a person who has problems walking or with fine psychomotor skills at the manual level, there are also inequalities in the mobility of facial and cavity motor skills. oral.
”Children who are born with all the necessary equipment in terms of muscles and joints continue to acquire new abilities as they mature neurologically. They therefore arrive at a level of competence which may differ from one person to another” explains Didier Bleeckx.
If you don’t know how to whistle or blow bubbles, it’s probably not inevitable; according to the two specialists, it’s probably a problem with the psychomotor skills of the mouth and tongue.
You can work on your mobility
”Forming a U with the tongue, moving up both lateral sides has long been described as a genetic traitnotes Victoria Marriscal Diaz. But many scientific studies demonstrate causes that are not genetic, such as the coordination of lip movements, between breathing and of course the tongue. Some people fail to do this movement because they have never had a use for it.”
”Depending on the language spoken and the type of population analyzed, lingual movements can be different. For example, the guttural sounds (“like an ‘R’ in the back of the throat”) often found in Dutch involve other movements of the tongue compared to people who speak French..”
You may have a difficulty that prevents you from whistling or forming bubbles, “but there is not necessarily a link with any pathology” specifies Ms. Marrisca Diaz. “Whistling or blowing requires a lot of pressure from the cheek muscles, the buccinators. But at the front, if the mouth is not closed well, it does not work, at the back, the soft palate must close too. Sometimes it’s due to a small deficit elsewhere… even lack of breath”says Didier Bleeckx.
The physiotherapist explains that if we find the origin of the difficulty and work on it, we could be able to whistle or blow bubbles. “This requires less psychomotor skills than putting your tongue in a U shape, so most people could do it with practice..”
Genetic causes, accidents in utero, during childbirth, or during life
”Some people do not have the ‘material’ to have optimal oral mobility. You need muscles, joints… but also sufficient maturation of neurological commands. There are more than 6,000 genetic syndromes sometimes leading to partial paralysis of the face, or also problems of development during pregnancy as well as problems related to childbirth or accidents and pathologies throughout life can also cause difficulties” said Didier Bleeckx.
For all people who suffer from oral phase problems, there is multidisciplinary care. Different medical specialties such as ENTs and neurologists work with many paramedical professions: physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists, psychomotor therapists.
Some patients can be followed for life,”If a child is born with difficulties, they are often monitored throughout their development. Then as he gets older, he risks losing certain skills again.” explains the physiotherapist.
