Facial Motion: Home Exercises for Lengthening Temporalis Myoplasty Surgery
These instructions from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) describe exercises to be performed at home before and after a patient has lengthening temporalis myoplasty surgery.
Patient instructions: before surgery
-
Place your fingers on one or both of your temples while biting down.
-
Feel the temporalis muscle contract.
-
Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times.
-
Practice 2 to 3 times a day.
-
With a lot of practice, you may be able to activate this muscle without biting down.
Patient instructions: after surgery
Immediately following surgery
Post-surgery exercises and instructions
Perform each exercise 1 to 3 times a day in front of a mirror.
Cheek
-
Massage the cheek above the incision pressing down on the thick areas for 3-5 minutes. Do not place your fingers too close to the corner of the mouth, it could hurt the muscle.
-
Massage inside the mouth. Pinch inside and outside of the cheek and pull forward. Repeat 10 times.
-
Perform scar massage to all incision sites for 3 to 5 minutes, 1 to 2 times a day. Your therapist will give you separate instructions for this.
Mouth
-
Smile with open (figure 1) and closed mouth (figure 2). In the beginning, practice smiling by biting down. Repeat 10 times. Then, practice smiling without biting down. Repeat 10 times.
-
Open your mouth wide, your healthcare provider may recommend using a device to assist with this stretching. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 3-5 times.
-
Close your mouth tightly. Press lips together.
-
Hold a straw between your lips. Try not to drop it.
-
Inflate your cheeks and move air from one cheek to another.
-
Practice pucker, like giving a kiss (figure 3)
-
Practice blowing and whistling (figure 4).
-
Practice chewing and biting.
-
Open your mouth wide, like a yawn (figure 5).
Reviewed on October 20, 2022, by Tami Konieczny, MS, OTR/L, BCP