Voice is a significant aspect of our lives. A voice is important for an individual as voice allows the person to express his or her feelings, thoughts, and ideas eloquently. Voice helps us sing, voice helps us talk, and more importantly, voice helps us change the world. At ENT Head and Neck Care Clinic, we take care of your voice from various voice disorders.
Voice Disorders
Voice disorders can happen due to a variety of reasons or causes. Allow us to mention a few of them below.
- Problems in the throat due to severe throat diseases, such as throat cancer
- Frequent screaming or yelling
- Speaking at an abnormally high pitch or in other words, speaking at a loud voice for incessant hours.
- Certain allergies
- Upper respiratory infections
- Aging
- Psychological stress and disorders
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- GERD or Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Neurological disorders
- Change in hormones
- Not clearing the throat from time to time
What are some common types of voice disorders?
There are miscellaneous voice disorders known to the medical professionals. Some of them we have mentioned below for your perusal.
- Laryngitis – Laryngitis is an inflammation of the voice box (larynx). This voice disorder happens due to the overuse, irritation, and infection of the voice box.
- Leukoplakia – Leukoplakia is a medical condition in which the thickened white patches form inside the mouth of a person.
- Foreign accent syndrome – Foreign accent syndrome is a unique speech disorder that causes a sudden change in the accent of a native speaker. This syndrome happens due to neurological disorders often caused by traumatic injuries in the brain.
- Vocal cord paralysis – Vocal cord paralysis is a voice condition that affects the person’s ability to speak and even breathe. This voice disorder usually occurs when the nerve impulses of the voice box (larynx) are obstructed.
- Spasmodic dysphonia – Spasmodic dysphonia is a voice disorder in which the muscles responsible for producing voice start abnormal contractions, thus making the person’s voice hoarse and tight.
Expected treatment for voice disorders
After a customary physical exam and a thorough diagnosis, the otolaryngologists would recommend the following treatment.
Necessary changes in lifestyle – The ENT surgeon would highly recommend the patient to make some necessary changes in his or her lifestyle. For instance, staying well-hydrated, cleaning the throat regularly, avoiding yelling or screaming at the top of the lungs. The ENT physician will even prescribe some exercises that the patient will need to do daily to warm up his or her vocal cords before speaking.
Medicines – Medicines depend on the cause of the voice disorder and hence it varies from person to person.
Injections – Injections are prescribed in case the voice disorder is caused by muscle spasms or neurological condition. In most cases, injections filled with purified botulinum toxin, also called botox is injected into the patient’s neck to treat the muscle spasms.
Speech therapy – Speech therapy is generally suggested to help treat certain voice disorders. The speech therapist or pathologist recommends exercises and speaking patterns to improve the patient’s voice condition.
Surgery – Sometimes non-invasive methods, like medications and therapy do not work and that’s when surgery comes into the picture. Surgery is mostly recommended by ENT specialists in cases of throat cancer or pre-cancerous lesions.
Do you need a diagnosis and quality treatment for your voice disorders in Kolkata? Visit ENT Head and Neck Care Clinic, the place where you will get treatment from Kolkata’s top ENT specialists at economical rates.
