Common diagnoses include, but are not limited to:
Muscle tension dysphonia
Vocal fold nodules
Polyps
Edema
Presbyphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia
Puberphonia
Voice Disorders
Voice disorders can occur for a variety of reasons. Quite simply, a voice disorder is present when your voice does not meet your needs. Common complaints include: sounding hoarse, strained, or breathy, feeling tense, vocal fatigue, increased effort to produce voice, running out of breath while speaking, or having no voice at all. While there are a variety of disorders and diagnoses, the end result is the same - your voice is not your voice.
Our voices are uniquely ours. They are the intimate auditory fingerprint we share with our closest friends, family, and complete strangers. For most people, our voices go hand in hand with our identity, our sense of self. Voice disorders can disrupt this and affect our social relationships, as well as the relationship we have with ourselves. This may have negative mental health consequences such as a lower self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression.
Voice therapy can help with many voice disorders, however, not all voice disorders are treated by voice therapy. Some voice disorders may require surgery before you begin receiving voice therapy. If you are having trouble with your voice, you must seek out an otolaryngologist, or an ENT (ear, nose, & throat) doctor. They will be able to look directly at your voice box and make sure that voice therapy is right for you. If you suspect you have a voice disorder, it is optimal to have a voice-specialized speech-language pathologist and laryngologist work together with you to develop a treatment plan.
If you would like more information, have additional questions, or would like help finding an otolaryngologist in your area, reach out and we can work together to help you achieve your goals. If you’ve already seen an ENT and want to get started with voice therapy, schedule your free consultation with us today!