Laryngeal and Vocal Tract Strategies to Reduce Vocal Fold Contact Pressure
University of California, Los Angeles
Summary
Phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction is one of the most frequently occurring conditions to affect the voice. This voice disorder often involves vocal fold injury due to repeated, excessive contact pressure between the vocal folds when they collide during voice production. In the clinic, voice therapy attempts to modify unhealthy vocal behaviors through different techniques or exercises. While voice therapy is generally considered effective, the scientific rationale for its therapeutic benefits still remains unclear. It is generally believed that these exercises lead to adjustments in the larynx and vocal tract that reduce vocal fold contact pressure. However, this assumption has never been tested in humans or laboratory experiments. The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the effectiveness of voice therapy in reducing vocal fold contact pressures and in eliciting the hypothesized favorable laryngeal and vocal tract configurations.
Description
This study will investigate the degree to which a well-documented voice therapy technique, resonant voice therapy, reduces vocal fold contact pressure compared to baseline, and which if any laryngeal and vocal tract adjustments occur in association with this phonation pattern. The investigators will measure contact pressure in vivo in human subjects, and will use computed tomography scans to assess laryngeal and vocal tract configurations before and after initial voice training, in adults with phonotraumatic lesions. The investigators will correlate these measures to patient-reported outcome m…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 18-40 years (to minimize developmental changes associated with adolescent and elderly age) * Clinic diagnosis by a fellowship trained laryngologist of mid-membranous lesions that by history and appearance are phonotraumatic * Must be referred for voice therapy Exclusion Criteria: * Medical comorbidities (e.g., autoimmune disorders) beyond seasonal allergy and laryngopharyngeal reflux * Vocal fold lesions generally regarded to be less responsive to voice therapy (e.g. vocal fold cysts). * Claustrophobia * Inability to replicate fundamental frequencies required for…
Interventions
- BehavioralResonant voice therapy
Resonant voice therapy is a standard of care procedure for treating phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction. The full standardized voice therapy program will have a duration of four weeks, each week with one 60-minute therapy session.
Location
- UCLA Rehab CenterLos Angeles, California