When you rely on your voice in your career, voice disorders can be devastating. To have a healthy voice, you need to two elements, to have healthy vocal folds and practice proper voice use. Without these two factors, it is a recipe for disaster and can seriously affect your life. There are several types of voice disorders that millions of people suffer from every day. ENT Specialists is here to talk about some of the different voice disorders we see and how speech or voice therapy can be a positive course of treatment.
When someone has a problem in relation to their nervous system, their disorder falls under this category. Conditions like paralysis and weak vocal cords can cause serious problems like pneumonia and swallowing difficulties.
A lot of the time structural disorders cause sufferers to struggle with chronic hoarseness. When there are abnormalities with the fluids or tissues in the vocal cords, it interferes with normal vibration of the vocal cords. These problems include polyps, lesions, ulcers and more.
Usually a patient doesn’t suffer from a psychogenic disorder without other issues. This isn’t usually the sole reason for problems with the patient’s voice. It is a very real emotional effect for those dealing with a voice disorder.
When the vocal cords aren’t used properly it can cause muscle strain which doesn’t allow the voice to work as it should. These patients have a completely normal vocal cord structure, but have a hard time with voice production.
While this isn’t considered a true voice disorder, it has some of the same symptoms as other voice disorders, including chronic hoarseness. You should also set up an appointment if you have hoarseness that lasts more than 3 weeks.
For some voice disorders, surgery is the only answer to solving the problem. There are several instances however, that can benefit from voice therapy rather than surgery. If surgery is the answer for a voice disorder, it shouldn’t ever be the only course of action. Voice therapy is key in getting the best possible results. Here are some ways that voice therapy can benefit you:
• Improve vocal resonance
• Improve breathing when using your voice for singing
• Decrease hoarseness
• Strengthen vocal folds
• Improve vibrations of the vocal folds
• Overall improved voice quality
If you use your voice for your profession, it is important that your vocal cords are healthy and that you are using your voice properly. Anyone that suffers from any voice disorders can benefit from voice therapy no matter what age they may be. Children and adults alike can see real results when voice therapy is taken seriously. ENT Specialists can help you come up with a plan that is customized to fix the vocal problems you are dealing with. We have the training and experience needed to get your voice healthy and strengthen your vocal cords. Call us today for an appointment.
