What are the causes and available treatment methods for vocal paralysis?

Vocal fold paresis (or vocal cord paralysis) is the result of abnormal nerve input to the muscles within the voice box. When it comes to the human body, the term “Paralysis” means a complete interruption of nerve impulses that cause minimal to no movement for any given body part. In the case of the disruption of the human voice, vocal cord paralysis is the result of nerve-to-muscle  interruption within the muscles of the voice box, causing the vocal cords to malfunction, or to not function at all.

Paresis can happen to anyone and in any age from different causes. The effect on patients that suffer from this problem will depend on their lifestyles. A mild form of vocal paresis can greatly effect the career of a speaker or singer.

What nerves are involved?

Vocal fold movements are a result of the coordinated construction of various muscles that are controlled by the brain through a specific set of nerves. The superior laryngeal nerve carries signals to the cricothyroid muscle. Since this muscle adjusts the tension of the vocal folds for high notes especially during singing. 

What are the causes?

The cause of vocal fold paralysis can indicate whether the disorder will resolve over time or whether it may be permanent. Some of the reasons can include:

Inadvertent injury during surgery: Surgery in the neck or in the chest may inadvertently result in vocal paralysis. The SLN (superior Laryngal Nerve) may also be injured during head or neck surgery.

Blunt neck or chest trauma: Any type of penetrating or hard impact on the chest or neck may injure the RLN (Recurrent Laryngal Nerve); impact to the neck may injure or affect the nerves of the voice box. 

Skull base, throat or chest Tumors: Tumors both cancerous and non-cancerous can develop around nerves and compress them, causing different degrees of vocal cord paresis. 

Viral infections: Inflammation from infections may directly include and hurt the vagus nerves (one of 12 cranial nerves). Illnesses can also affect the nerves to the voice box.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of vocal paralysis can range from a multitude of things like, for example: 

voice changes, 

breathing problems due to lack of airway control, 

swallowing difficulties. 

Hoarseness, 

breathy voice 

The above symptoms are just to name a few and some of the symptoms within the above list can potentially be life-altering (and life-threatening) for the voice disorder sufferer.

What is the treatment available for vocal paralysis?

The two strategies for treatment of vocal paralysis are as follows:

One is an operative form of treatment known as phonosurgery - an operation used to reposition or reshape the vocal folds for better voice production. This involves surgery that may compromise important parts within the vocal anatomy and can be a catalyst for other disorders that the sufferer may face in the future.

The other is the more desirable and less invasive approach.

There is an alternative form of voice therapy which is conducted by a professional voice practitioner who specializes in a form of voice restoration, sustainment and enhancement. This form of voice restoration & enhancement is known as ‘Non-Surgical Voice Repair’ and it is conducted by The Royans Institute for Non-Surgical Voice Repair. With a 34 year track record of success with respect of helping those who suffer from voice/vocal disorders & successfully recovered their voices, their unique method has proven to be a critical component and a viable solution for all voice disorder sufferers (that includes those who suffer from vocal paralysis) that seek an alternative method of treatment that does not involve surgery.

We are your healthy voice consultants. Psychological aspects of Voice Disorders.

I am lately receiving more and more clients which require non-surgical voice repair, possessing voice disorders like muscle tension dysphonia and/or spasmodic dysphonia. With our very hectic and stress-induced lives, a multitude of sufferers with the above mentioned voice disorders have their voice problems related to their highly stressed emotional conduct.

Some of the emotional stress is related to their business lives, but even more so common, it is related to their family lives. To give you an example, I have been presently working with two beautiful middle-aged women, (but still fairly young) who have their dysphonia disorders (one of them had been diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia and the other, who has joined recently, had been diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia). The former has ben suffering for 5 years prior being under my care.

She has been extremely stressed at work (working 3 jobs simultaneously) and mainly (and more so) at home - not getting any required and/or desired attention from the spouse. Also having 3 teenage children is understandably stressful on its own. 

My business associate who is also a natural health practitioner, likes to ask her clients, especially those who also have voice or other health problems, “What do you think that you can not swallow?” I really like this question because all those emotions can greatly effect not just the voice itself,  but also other related health issues.

Trying to bare all the duties and responsibilities at home and at work, these above-mentioned women (for almost 20 years) were trying to “hold on" to their work and family lives; no doubt, surpassing their emotions (like anguish, anger and just disappointment) which, eventually manifested in their physical body and became a cause of not only their voice disorders, but also the cause of other related and non-related health problems.

While ones’ emotions are suppressed, the thyroid is effected & the neck muscles, along with the thyroid, are holding on to the sound of the voice.

In the holistic teaching, the thyroid represents suppressed emotions, causing (due to limited expression of the voiced feelings) tightness in the thyroid and the neck muscles. If the voice drops down a level below the above-mentioned parameters, the Muscle Tension Dysphonia will most probably turn into Spasmodic Dysphonia.

The main part of my work is to identify and address the cause of those above-mentioned disorders. I have always said: “The voice is an expression of who you are and the reflection of the state of your being”. So once the emotional makeup of the person is disturbed (and not happy), the person may acquire all kinds of disorders and one of them is the voice. Interestingly enough, while my voice repair clients’ voices are getting stronger, their self-esteem, self worth, mind strength and body health are rising along with the voice-acquired health and strength.

Thought this, however not-very-easy, process, they began to feel better about themselves and those who had not been living a healthy lifestyle, changed their diet to a much healthier one, lost or gained weight (if it was needed), began newly-found physical activities and got rid of the bad habits like smoking, drinking and even the use of drugs.

In the interim, their spouses began to sense their newly found mental, physical and vocal strength; and thus began to act and behave accordingly, i.e., with more respect and newly found attention towards their partners.

A few years ago, I had a client from the UK with serious voice/vocal issues who I was attending to within a 2 and a half year span period of time. Especially since she had lost her singing voice and partially had a problem with her speaking voice, her love life was, the least to say, very unsuccessful and (to put it mildly) quite dramatic and traumatic. Over this 2 and a half year period of time, while she was travelling to me here in Toronto, Canada, and me also travelling to her to the U.K, I not only had been attending to her voice, but also to her emotions concerning (with her permission) her private life - boosting her confidence and self-worth to the point that she was able to finally find a (worthy of her standards and expectations) steady boyfriend and is still living with him now, happily ever after. 

On this note, I will wish her, and you my dear readers, a Happy Valentine’s Day! Attending to the voice repair clients holistically, I work on the person as a whole. Besides the voice repair, the counselling for the physical and emotional fitness is definitely present practically within all of my sessions.

In Russia, we have a saying: “In a healthy body there is a healthy spirit.” And since I have always declared that the voice is your spirit which we have to discover, uncover and make it flown straight to the universe where the sky is the limit.  

To conclude, our wish for you and your loved ones is stated below:

Give your special loved one the gift of best health and the best voice!

When you care for and love that special someone, they will love you more; and thus they will be able to express their love (with a much healthier and clearer voice) through a love poem or a love song.

For more info, contact us: 

info@vocalscience.com | 416-857-8741 | www.vocalscience.com

Vocal Science™ - Voice Disorder…? We can help you and your voice “rise to the occasion”, so to speak…

What do we mean by that? Let’s find out!

If I could say so myself, The Vocal Science™ method and technique is truly “engineered” to amaze! 

For many years, we have been attending to all kinds of people with all kinds of voice/vocal disorders (speakers and singers). Our voice repair clients, nevertheless, are experiencing today the 22nd century in voice/vocal innovation.

Our non-surgical voice repair methods are very unique and totally holistic. We are not just working on a person’s voice. We are working on their mind, body and soul; and then treat the voice as a significant part of their anatomy, as well as their psychological makeup.

Once we succeed with all of the above, our now former clients had often been asked: “Is that…magic?” No… it is Vocal Science, they exclaim!

However, the restoration of a damaged voice could be a very tasking (needless to say) detailed and intense process.

Vocal Science…. 

For the love… of voice!

“I will love again, stronger then before” - sings Canadian pop star, Lara Fabian.

Let’s hope that you too will love your voice again, especially once its fixed and restored back to its natural beauty, strength and beyond…

Your voice is your tool for communication, your pride and joy; not to mention that it is a reflection of the state of your being, which does (majority of times) identify your personality and even reflects on your very own “blueprint” in a manner of speaking.

In this case, it is clear that we are not just fixing voices; we are fixing people’s voices.

We promise to “have your back” all the way to our mutual success!

Voice….Health…Life!!

We are your voice associates!

We can state with absolute confidence that we can assist you with any of your voice/vocal issues in a fast and efficient manner.  We will utilize all of our experience and expertise (of nearly 4 decades) to rectify any of your voice/vocal issues.

However, we cannot produce any results without your cooperation and commitment to be the best you can be. We cannot do it without your dedication to achieve your goals and your ability to acquire the best voice possible (whether it has been previously compromised or not…).

As for singing performers, please note: 

Regardless of how healthy or unhealthy your voice may be and regardless of whether it will become any better via our combined efforts, if you don’t have it in your “persona” so to speak, and are unable to connect your voice to your “persona”, your effort to become any sort of performer will most likely be obsolete; and all of your efforts to chase that “wonderful voice” will be (the least to say) wasted.

So find yourself, open your heart and soul, connect to yourself and find the way to connect to other people while communicating (speaking or singing…).

Don’t be selfish and self-centred, as with those qualities, you will never become a performer, and thus will NEVER rise to the occasion… 

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

Love your voice. Love yourself. Love others…

If you embrace and adapt the latter…, 

WE will promise that YOU will rise to the occasion… 

AND IN MORE WAYS THEN ONE!