Tuesday 13 February 2018

What are muscle tension dysphonia, signs & symptoms and available treatments?

Muscle Tension Dysphonia is one of the most common voice disorders. It occurs when the muscles around the larynx are so tight during speaking that the voice box does not work efficiently. MTD is more often among the people in the 40-50-year-old age group, especially in women.  

There are mainly two types of muscle tension dysphonia or MTD; 

Primary MTD: In this type, the muscles in your neck are tense when you use your voice but there is no abnormality in the larynx.  

Secondary MTD: In secondary MTD, the patient does not feel any abnormality in the voice box that causes them to over-use other muscles for producing the voice.  

Signs and Symptoms  The onset of muscle tension dysphonia can be very subtle and it may be characterized by:  

Rough, hoarse or raspy voice Breathy or husky voice Reduced vocal volume Changes to voice pitch Pain or discomfort in the throat A tight ‘choking’ sensation when using voice Increase fatigue and effort associated with increased voice use  Cause of Muscle Tension Dysphonia  The cause of Muscle Tension Dysphonia is not completely understood.

It is likely that more than one factor contributes to changes in the vocal mechanism leading to Muscle Tension Dysphonia. 

Some possible causes include irritants such as upper respiratory tract infection, passive smoking, acid reflux, Prolonged overuse of the voice, etc.  Available treatments  At The Royans Institute for Non-Surgical Voice Repair, voice therapy offered by a speech pathologist is the preferred treatment for the muscle tension dysphonia. The voice therapy includes some individual voice exercises for effective voice use and the reduction of muscle tension.

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