{"id":2319,"date":"2024-03-01T14:54:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T19:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/?p=2319"},"modified":"2024-03-01T14:56:14","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T19:56:14","slug":"understanding-dysphonia-signs-symptoms-types-and-treatments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/understanding-dysphonia-signs-symptoms-types-and-treatments\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Dysphonia: Signs, Symptoms, Types and Treatments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Imagine waking up one morning to find your voice sounds hoarse, strained or completely different from what you&#8217;re used to. You may have noticed these symptoms following a loud concert or a busy dinner out at Grassroots &amp; Vine. Dysphonia, or voice hoarseness, is a common problem, affecting approximately <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/17105-hoarseness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one in three people<\/a> at least once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dysphonia at large is a group of vocal disorders characterized by difficulty producing voice sounds. It can impact the voice&#8217;s pitch, volume, quality or resonance, leading to changes in speech clarity and vocal discomfort. Dysphonia can range from mild to severe and may be temporary or chronic, depending on its underlying causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Types of Dysphonia<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1254\" height=\"836\" src=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat.jpg\" alt=\"Woman holding her sore throat.\" class=\"wp-image-2322\" style=\"width:411px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat.jpg 1254w, https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1254px) 100vw, 1254px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Voice hoarseness may result from voice overuse, <a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/ent\/laryngitis\/\">laryngitis<\/a>, aging, chronic acid reflux, vocal cord hemorrhage, vocal cord nodules, cysts and polyps and more. Two common forms of dysphonia include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Spasmodic Dysphonia<\/strong>. Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological problem characterized by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pennmedicine.org\/for-patients-and-visitors\/patient-information\/conditions-treated-a-to-z\/spasmodic-dysphonia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involuntary spasms<\/a> or contractions of the vocal cords, resulting in sudden breaks in speech or speech that is difficult to understand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Muscle Tension Dysphonia<\/strong>. Often caused by vocal misuse or overuse, muscle tension dysphonia or functional dysphonia, involves excessive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/muscle-tension-dysphonia#:~:text=Muscle%20tension%20dysphonia%20is%20a%20%E2%80%9Cfunctional%20dysphonia%2C%E2%80%9D%20whereby%20a,that%20results%20with%20voice%20use.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tension or tightness in the muscles surrounding the voice box (larynx)<\/a>, leading to voice difficulties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treatments for Dysphonia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Treatment depends on the underlying cause, severity and individual needs of your dysphonia. A few treatment options include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Voice Therapy<\/strong>. Working with a speech-language pathologist specializing in voice disorders can help improve vocal production and reduce strain through proper vocal techniques, breath support and relaxation exercises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Medication<\/strong>. Medications like corticosteroids or antibiotics may be prescribed to reduce swelling and alleviate symptoms in cases of inflammation or infection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vocal Rest<\/strong>. Giving the voice adequate rest by avoiding excessive talking, yelling or singing can promote healing and prevent <a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/ent\/sore-throat\/\">further strain<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Surgery<\/strong>. Surgical intervention may be necessary to remove vocal cord nodules, polyps or other structural abnormalities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Dysphonia can significantly impact your quality of life, affecting communication and emotional well-being. You can experience improved voice function and regain confidence with early recognition and intervention. If you are experiencing persistent voice changes, contact ENT &#038; Allergy Specialists &#8211; Ear Nose and Throat Physicians and Surgeons today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><ul class=\"related-posts\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/adult-tonsillectomy-and-what-to-expect\/\" class=\"related-post\">Adult Tonsillectomy and What to Expect<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/how-much-earwax-is-too-much\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Much Earwax Is Too Much?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/what-is-a-deviated-septum-how-is-it-treated\/\" class=\"related-post\">What Is a Deviated Septum &amp; How Is It Treated?<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine waking up one morning to find your voice sounds hoarse, strained or completely different from what you&#8217;re used to. You may have noticed these symptoms following a loud concert or a busy dinner out at Grassroots &amp; Vine. Dysphonia, or voice hoarseness, is a common problem, affecting approximately one in three people at least&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entandallergyspecialists.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}