What are the Symptoms of Muscle Tension Dysphonia and What Are The Treatments Available for That Voice Disorder?

The term Muscle Tension Dysphonia is a general term which could be associated with an imbalance in the muscle’s coordination and breathing patterns required to create a voice. Muscle Tension Dysphonia (often called MTD) may occur on its own, or as a result of a strained voice being pulled into the neck muscles. The reason behind this disorder is not always clear. It may be triggered by allergies, illness, acid reflux or whichever other means...  

Symptoms 

The most common symptoms for this disorder is a change in voice quality, often associated with discomfort of the vocal cords (or voice box) while speaking or singing. Also, almost always, symptoms like hoarseness and rapines will be associated with an increased effort to talk or sing, coupled with subsequent fatigue during continuous voice use.

Treatment 

There is an alternative form of voice therapy which is the gold standard for the treatment of Muscle Tension Dysphonia. There are no other known treatments (outside of the Vocal Science™ Method and Technique) that can restore the muscle balance in the vocal mechanism. With that said, this unique form of therapy will help alleviate the above vocal symptoms.

If you are suffering from any vocal disorders like MTD or any other ones like Vocal Paralysis (Paresis), vocal cord nodules, polyps, cysts, lesions, or what have you, The Royans Institute for Non-Surgical Voice Repair can help you with virtually any voice problems in Toronto, Ontario and even worldwide. No matter what your voice/vocal problem(s) are, they can solve it with their revolutionary vocal technique, and specially designed speech and singing exercises (when needed) to help you recover and regain your healthy voice!

A Detailed Overview of Chronic Laryngitis

The human vocal chord is one of the most sensitive parts of the body that is subject to a number of infections and hence, special care must be taken to abstain from such infections. Here, an attempt has been made to gain clarity on the various aspects of Chronic Laryngitis, which is basically a kind of strain on the vocal chord. Now, is the time to understand the main causes behind this health issue. Some of the most common causes are inhalation of the irritants, such as chemical fumes, allergens or smoke. The disease can also be a result of a viral infection or due to an overuse of the vocal cords. One thing to note here is that if the problem of Laryngitis lasts for a period of more than three weeks, then it falls under the category of Chronic Laryngitis. 

It order to ensure that you get the right treatment for laryngitis, it is important to make sure that the diagnostic tests are performed with complete accuracy. One of the most reliable and widely adopted ways to diagnose Chronic Laryngitis is by reading the history of the patient and getting a physical examination done by the experts. In certain cases, the diagnosis is done using a Laryngoscope.  

Now, let us understand the most specific an accurate treatment for laryngitis. The front line treatment is recommended for the same and it includes total voice rest, as the same gives an opportunity to the vocal cords to heal. Other home remedies include salt water gargles and a significant increase in the fluid intake. In severe cases, the symptomatic treatment might be recommended using prescribed decongestants and painkillers.  

Whatever the severity of the disease be, it is always important to get in touch with an expert health care professional so as to arrive at a beneficial and safe decision.

Top 5 frequent suspects of vocal problems in humans

Singers, actors, teachers, politicians and other professional voice users are prone to developing voice problems because of the extensive use of their voice. These problems may be obvious; like a complete loss of voice. A singer could experience not only a loss of high notes, but also the loss of their voice in general. A voice problem in these professions can be career-threatening and therefore those voice problems need to be assessed as soon as possible. Below are five frequent reasons that can cause vocal problems for these professionals.

  1) Singing loudly without warming up: If you are in a rock band and use a loud belt quality frequently without warming up or practicing properly, your vocal folds will thicken and lose flexibility. 

 2) Acid Reflux: You may have acid reflux. Acid reflux happens when the acid from your stomach travels back up to the esophagus. Try not to eat too late. Avoid acid-producing food such as alcohol, coffee, meat, sugar, and dairy products. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Drink lots of water. 

 3) Nodules: You may have nodules or a polyp. Polyps are especially difficult to analyze as they tend not to affect your vocal folds. You can still sound well-connected, but your voice tires easily.  Nodules are easier to spot for a singer, as it makes high notes almost impossible to achieve and even the lower tone in their voice becomes compromised whether they are either speaking or singing. 

 If they are soft nodules, a few months working with a professional vocal coach on your vocal technique should get rid of the vocal problem. But, in retrospect, if the vocal cord nodule(s) reach a severe growth-span (to the point where it completely compromises your speaking voice, as well as your singing voice) you may need surgery to treat vocal cord problems of this magnitude. 

4) Vocal Fold Gap: You may have a slight gap at the back of your vocal folds. This is called Sulcus Vocalis. If this problem is left untreated, it can grow to a more severe problem known as muscle tension dysphonia. For these types of disorders, it is very important to find an alternative voice specialist to deal with them.  The technical aspects that should be addressed with respect to this disorder (and many others) include improving posture, improving breath control and support, avoiding excessive shoulder and neck tension, etc.

5) Bad Speaking Habits: Normally, we use our speaking voice much more than our singing voice. If you have a raspy/breathy voice or you excessively clear your throat, you need to re-train yourself with a professional voice specialist/speech therapist   and they will teach you how to speak with a healthy clear voice. 

All the above-mentioned points are the most common causes of vocal problems. If you feel that you frequently have these problems, contact a vocal specialist in order to have them properly diagnose the underlying causes so they can effectively restore and improve the quality of your speaking and singing voice.