Jj is for Jottings 76. Voice Disorders and Vocal Nodules.
Manuel is trying to open his mouth as widely as he can so we can see if he has vocal nodules.
In my last post I said I’d talk more about voice disorders and how they develop in children. Vocal nodules, also referred to as screamer’s or singer’s nodules, are a likely result of misuse and abuse of the voice.
Vocal Misuse.
Overuse and misuse of the voice comes from excessive talking or singing, or excess muscle tension in the larynx from a variety of causes. These include:
1. Straining to be heard over background noise.
- Straining to be heard by a deaf conversational partner.
- Emotional causes.
- Strain caused by an unnatural position when speaking. A friend of mine developed difficulties with her beautiful singing voice and couldn’t work out the cause. She finally tracked it down – she was reading to her children lying on the bed with her neck stretched down over the side. The stretched neck caused tension in her larynx and strain in her vocal cords.
- Medical conditions such as allergies and sinusitis.
- Using the voice when you have an upper respiratory tract infection or laryngitis.
Vocal Abuse.
This includes episodes such as yelling at sporting games and shouting at the video game (in the previous article) or in the playground; frequent crying or coughing; cheerleading .
Vocal abuse involves behaviours that are sharp and hard, banging the vocal cords together with great force. Note that vocal cords and vocal folds are the same.
Who is Susceptible to Voice Disorders and Vocal Nodules?
Children who shout, cry or cough a great deal (and adults who fit this category).
Occupations which tend to lead to voice disorders and, possibly, vocal nodules, include teachers, auctioneers, priests, and singers. Amplification will usually eliminate the problem before it occurs.
What are Vocal Nodules and How do they Develop?
When we talk, our vocal cords vibrate at a great rate. Put your hands together in prayer position, keep your fingertips together, and move the heels of your hands quickly in and out, like clapping with your fingertips together. That will give you an idea of how your vocal cords work. When your hands (vocal cords) are together in prayer position, they are lying snugly against each other. When there is vocal misuse or abuse, you start to get swelling about a third of the way from the “fingertip” end. This means the vocal cords can’t come together properly, and there are now chinks on either side of the swelling where air can escape. If the abuse continues, the swelling develops into vocal nodules, which are like calluses on the vocal cords.
Vocal cords with nodules one third of the way from the top.
Voice Disorder – The Symptoms.
Vocal nodules can result in hoarseness, breathiness, multiple tones, loss of vocal range, vocal fatigue or loss of voice.
People with vocal nodules may describe their voice as harsh, raspy, or scratchy. There may be frequent voice breaks, easy vocal fatigue with use or there may be a decreased range of vocal sounds. Pain is another symptom that is felt as a shooting pain from ear to ear, general neck pain or as a lump in the throat. Patients may also experience frequent coughing, throat clearing, or general fatigue.
Treatment for Vocal Nodules.
Usually, treatment involves speech therapy, training the patient not to misuse or abuse the voice. Sometimes, however, the Ear, Nose and Throat surgeon decides to surgically remove the nodules. The patient will still need to remove the misuse/abuse to prevent recurrence.
Check out the Facebook page: Aa is for Alpacas