Voice is a phenomenal phenomenon!
Have you ever wondered how humans actually produce sound? This pondering is what drew me to the Speech Language Therapy profession. I’ll never forget marveling at my university text books, to understand the relationship between anatomy, aerodynamics, physics, physiology and the emotional body. It was so much more complex and amazing than I had ever imagined.
Let’s learn what causes voice problems:
A voice disorder is when the speaker notices a gradual or sudden change in the way the voice sounds and/or how it feels which becomes bothersome to them. Commonly clients may notice their voice is hoarse or lacking in power and that it feels tight, or sore.
Structural Voice Disorders
Imagine the voice box is like a clarinet. The length, size and texture of the reed is very important to get the desired sound quality. Have you ever tried to play a clarinet with a split reed? If you have you’ll remember the loud squeak sound, which makes it impossible to play the piece of music.
If the voice box is inflamed, such as during laryngitis or when suffering from silent reflux, talking may feel constricted or husky, and other symptoms such as frequent throat clearing may be apparent.
Following complicated surgical intubation, chemical exposure, or external neck trauma, the structure of the voice box may be affected.
Structural changes such as recurrent respiratory papilloma, age related vocal fold thinning and vocal fold weakness are other common causes of voice problems.
Neurological Voice Disorders
Have you ever heard someone with a neurological condition such as Parkinsons Disease speak? Perhaps they run out of air quickly, and their voice looses depth and volume. Many people with progressive neurological conditions experience problems with their voices as muscle strength or sensation changes.
Sometimes the nerve which moves the vocal folds is damaged during surgery to the chest such as mastectomy or heart surgery. Nerve damage may be temporary or permanent.
Voice Disorders due to Misuse
Yelling, screaming, excessive throat-clearing or talking with force can cause the voice box to tighten or bruise. Singing too loudly during karaoke, or yelling too much at a rugby match, or speaking for a long time, like a school teacher does, can cause vocal misuse disorders. The way people speak in certain places in the world, and society can facilitate misuse, such as ‘glottal fry’ with 20-30 year old females in New Zealand and Australia.
Psychological Voice Disorders
“I’ll never forget the time I was asked to sing at the funeral of a close friend. My voice was shaky thin and my body felt as tense as a plank of wood.”
Psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety and depression can cause voice problems. Voice is likened to the ‘gateway to our soul’ revealing our inner emotions to the outside world. Think of a time you’ve felt nervous, upset, sad, exhausted, unwell, happy, shy, intimidated…think how your voice reflects these emotions, despite all attempts to hide them away from the ever-judging listener. Sometimes it may feel impossible.
Beyond the Label
As much as we can list the different causes of voice problems, we need to understand that labelling one cause of voice problems isn’t always possible. Voice is a holistic entity. An in depth assessment is necessary to understand the interplay of contributing factors.
Let’s meet Dave. Dave is a 37 year old teacher who came to ReVoice Clinic complaining of a 5 month history of a hoarse and strained voice. When finding out about his medical and lifestyle it became evident primary cause of voice problems was seasonal hay fever, which causes congestion and chronic coughing leading to a swollen voice box. This resulted in the need to push his voice to be heard at work and choir. This caused a secondary misuse voicing pattern, as well as an emotional response; feeling tense and worried about his new voice problems. Despite hay fever going away he held onto the muscular pattern of misuse and emotional stress. Dave benefitted from vocal exercises to rewire the voice box to function without tension or strain, and improved the overall health of his voice, leading to a long term improvement.
ReVoice Clinic appreciates that voice is a holistic instrument, reflecting our physical, mental, emotional and psychological health and wellness.
Take the first step into your empowering journey, and find out if voice therapy is right for you. Book your free consultation today.