Physiology of exercise in orofacial motricity: knowledge about the issue

ABSTRACT Objective: to investigate the knowledge of speech therapists about the physiology of exercise in orofacial motricity. Methods: 38 speech therapists working in orofacial motricity in the state of Sergipe, Brazil, graduated from institutions of higher education in Brazil, answered eleven closed questions about the type of exercise, frequency, time of muscle contraction, serial number and signs and symptoms of muscular fatigue. The results were analyzed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Chi-square tests (5% significance). Results: the variation of the exercises regarding the time of contraction was cited by the majority (89.47%) and the serial number throughout therapy by all the participants. There was a 60.52% improvement on the isometric and isotonic exercises, 55.26% on the application of exercises in asymmetries and 47.34% on the sequence of exercises according to the type of muscular contraction. The majority of the participants conducted home exercises for more than three days a week (73.69%), and .63% participants indicated the interval time between one minute and two minutes. The most commonly reported signs and symptoms of muscle fatigue in the face were tremor / fibrillation (78.95%). Conclusion: the knowledge of the study group about the physiology of exercise still lacks greater technical-scientific subsidies.