Speech, Swallowing, & Voice Specialists of Hawaii
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VOICE THERAPY SERVICES
Voice therapy targets rehabilitating the patient’s voice to a level of function that enables the patient to fulfill his or her daily voice and/or speech communication needs. Voice has three main components that can be affected: pitch, quality, and loudness. Below are the three major causes for a disruption in voice production.
Functional Voice Impairments
Functional voice disturbances develop due to improper use of the vocal mechanism. Several common causes for a functional voice impairment are yelling, screaming, excessive throat clearing, muscle tension dysphonia, ventricular phonation (when the false vocal folds compress and squeeze over the true vocal folds), and vocal fatigue due to overuse (commonly seen with teachers, coaches, public speakers). We can help you determine what activities are contributing to your voice issues and develop a vocal hygiene plan geared specifically for you!
Neurogenic Voice Impairments
Voice issues can arise from several neurological issues. A very common cause of both difficulty in speech and voice production is Parkinson's Disease. Other causes of voice issues are recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, spasmodic dysphonia, and Multiple sclerosis. Let us help you get your voice back!
Structural Voice Impairments
Voice disturbance can occur due to structural/anatomical changes. Some common structural voice causes are vocal fold abnormalities (i.e.; nodules, stenosis), inflammation of the larynx (i.e.; arthritis of the cricoarytenoid or laryngopharyngeal reflux), head/neck cancer, trauma to the larynx (i.e.; from intubation, external trauma), and tracheostomies.