ABSTRACT
Objective:To document any improvement in the breathing control of stroke survivors with dysarthria after practicing Liuzijue qigong.Methods:A total of 157 stroke survivors with dysarthria and abnormal respiration control were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group. Both groups were given traditional breathing training and basic articulation training (including articulatory organ training and speech training). The observation group also received training in Liuzijue qigong. It requires inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth while producing the speech sounds xu, he, hu, si, chui and xi. The training lasted two weeks. Both groups were then evaluated using the modified Frenchay dysarthria assessment. Maximum phonation time, maximum counting ability and volume were also recorded as secondary indexes.Results:After the 2-week intervention, significant improvement was observed in the average scores on all of the indexes, with all of the observation group′s average scores except for volume significantly better than those of the control group. The average volume scores were significantly improved, but not significantly different.Conclusion:Supplementing basic articulation training with Liuzijue qigong can improve respiratory function and the speaking ability of stroke survivors with dysarthria. It is worthy of wider clinical application.