Effects of Voice Therapy on Vocal Tract Discomfort in Muscle Tension Dysphonia



Mansuri B¹ ; Torabinezhad F¹ ; Jamshidi AA² ; Dabirmoghadam P³ ; Vasaghigharamaleki B⁴ ; Ghelichi L¹ Show Affiliations
Source: Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Published:2019

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) suffer from several physical discomforts in their vocal tract. However, few studies have examined the effects of voice therapy (VT) on the vocal tract discomfort (VTD) in patients with voice disorders. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of VT on the VTD in patients with MTD. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 25 subjects with MTD, including 5 men and 20 women, with the mean age of 37.20±5.70 years. The participants underwent 10 consecutive sessions of VT twice a week. The acoustic voice analysis, auditory-perceptual assessment, and the Persian version of the vocal tract discomfort (VTDp) scale were used to compare the pre- and post-treatment results. Results: After VT, significant improvements were observed in the acoustic characteristics, including jitter, shimmer, and harmonics-to-noise ratio (P<0.05). Regarding the auditory-perceptual assessment, a significant reduction was noticed in the overall severity, roughness, and breathiness (P<0.05). Moreover, VT led to a significant reduction in all the items of the VTDp, including burn, tightness, dryness, pain, tickling, soreness, irritability, and lump in the throat, after VT in both frequency and severity sections of the VTDp scale (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that VT can be effective in reducing the frequency and severity of the VTD in patients with MTD in addition to improving voice quality. © 2019 Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.