Throat and Voice Conditions
A throat or voice disorder can be caused by many reasons, and the treatment depends on what that cause is. Some throat and voice disorders are caused by a short-term illness, such as a cold, sinus infection or allergies. After you recover from the illness, the disorder usually will resolve itself within a few days or weeks. More serious disorders occur when there is a problem with the structure, muscles or nerves in your voice box or vocal cords, so they are not functioning properly.
There are many types of voice disorders, but some of the most common include:
- Laryngitis – a viral infection that causes vocal cord swelling, which in turn causes hoarseness and voice loss.
- Vocal Cord Paralysis
- Benign growths such as cysts, polyps or nodules
- Spasmodic Dysphonia
Possible Causes
- Inflammation/Swelling – there can be a number of different factors that impact vocal cord inflammation such as chronic respiratory illnesses, allergies, medication, smoking and alcohol abuse, medications, etc.
- Growths – benign growths such as cysts, nodules, and polyps may form on the vocal cords which disrupts the natural vibration and can lead to
- Nerves -
- Hormones – thyroid problems,
- Vocal Cord Distress - this can be anything that is a stressor to the vocal cords such as excessive loud talking, yelling/shouting, coughing, throat clearing, smoking.
- Illness and allergies
Symptoms
- Hoarseness
- Weak, strained voice
- Change in pitch
- Unsteady or breathy voice
- Pain in throat while speaking
- Feeling of a lump in throat when swallowing
Treatments
- Lifestyle modifications
- Speech Therapy
- Medication
- Surgery
