Hallie BulkinAsk HallieAI:Your On-Demand Mentor in Pediatric Feeding & Myo

The "Shoelace Analogy" for Tongue Ties

2 Jun 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:37

In this brief excerpt from Hallie Bulkin’s YouTube video, Speaker A uses a shoelace analogy to illustrate how a tongue‑tie (ankyloglossia) physically restricts oral function, much like tied shoelaces prevent a runner from moving efficiently. Even with top‑tier speech, feeding, or running coaches, the child can only compensate and will not achieve optimal performance until the structural restriction is removed. Speaker B acknowledges the clarity of the analogy for parents and asks how clinicians decide whether to proceed with a corrective procedure (e.g., frenotomy or frenuloplasty). The segment sets up a discussion about evaluating the need for surgical release versus continued therapy.

Chapters

And I give the example of like the shoelace example, which like if your shoelaces are tied together, like you're not gonna be able to run. Like Boston Marathon was yesterday, you know, dating the podcast now, but like you're not gonna be able to run in the Boston Marathon. You're not gonna be able to run like even at the track, 400 meters, if your shoelaces are tied together. You can have the best track coach, best running coach in the world, the best speech therapist or feeding therapist in the world, you're gonna struggle. And they can teach you to compensate. You're gonna shuffle, but to really run well, you have to untie those shoelaces and, you know, have the structure right to get the proper function.
Yeah. I love that. I love that analogy. I think that's really helpful for parents even to hear because that really puts it in perspective. How do we determine if we should do this procedure or not?