Vocal cord paralysis can result in breathy, weak and soft voice as well as changes to swallowing and breathing patterns. It occurs when one or more nerves responsible for controlling vocal cord movements become damaged.
Damage may result from stroke, tumor removal surgery or injury to the head and neck region. Outcomes depend on how this issue is approached for treatment.
Breathing Exercises
Sometimes one or both vocal cords become paralyzed following a cold, upper respiratory infection or surgery, while in other instances healthcare providers cannot determine its cause – this condition is known as idiopathic vocal cord paralysis (or post viral vocal cord paralysis). Sometimes moving vocal cords take over for paralyzed ones within a year while other times they remain permanently paralyzed and require treatment to recover fully.
If you have unilateral vocal cord paralysis, your provider may recommend deferring permanent surgery for one year to see if symptoms improve on their own. Should voice therapy or bulk injections prove necessary as treatments, your provider might suggest voice therapy or both as solutions.
Under vocal paralysis, vocal cords may come too close together, preventing breathing easily. You might notice your voice becoming hoarse, weak, scratchy or breathy as a result; swallowing issues could even pose a potential risk of aspiration pneumonia (food or liquid entering into lungs unknowingly through windpipe or throat).
As you breathe, your vocal cords open and close in order to expand and contract the larynx (voice box). However, VCD causes them to close more suddenly than usual upon inhaling, creating an unpleasant whistling sound called stridor that’s distinct from asthmatic wheezing sounds.
Assist your treatment of VCD with breathing exercises designed to stretch and open up the vocal cords as you breathe in. Sit comfortably with neck and shoulders relaxed but back straight. Exhale slowly by pausing or spacing out each breath so air is expelled past the tip of tongue down into lower lip; repeat 10 times daily so when VCD occurs you will know exactly how to perform this technique properly.
Other exercises can also help relax and strengthen your vocal cords, such as “nodding”. Simply pretend you’re saying no by nodding your head from side-to-side as if saying it out loud; this exercise can be performed while lying down or sitting.
Adduction Exercises
Vocal cord paralysis occurs when either one or both vocal folds (vocal folds) isn’t functioning as they should. Your vocal folds consist of two bands of muscle in your voice box (larynx) at the top of your windpipe that open when breathing in and close when swallowing to prevent food and liquid from getting through to your windpipe.
Paralyzing of cords prevents you from producing normal voice or speech, and may cause symptoms like hoarseness or difficulty breathing. Over time, this condition may worsen, potentially leading to difficulty swallowing which could become dangerous and eventually aspiration which may lead to pneumonia.
However, most people tend to find that paralyzed cords will recover on their own over time. Your other cord can usually take over for speaking purposes; and these exercises may help your voice remain strong or hoarse should it become weak or hoarse.
Treatment options for vocal cord paralysis may include medications, surgery or physical and voice therapy. While invasive surgery is usually effective and relatively low-cost, there may be risks involved such as an infection risk; physical and voice therapies can often provide more cost-effective results in certain instances.
Voice therapy involves working with a certified speech-language pathologist to increase your vocal cord’s range and functionality. Most common techniques involve exercising healthy vocal chords to strengthen them while compensating for those that aren’t, such as pushing and pulling against a chair seat while you speak; or practising hard glottal attacks.
Your type of voice therapy depends on the severity and location of your condition. In some instances, laryngeal electromyography can help your healthcare provider assess the extent of paralysis by looking at electrical currents flowing through vocal cord muscles; small needles inserted into your neck allow this test to determine its results; further tests such as blood work or scans like X-rays and an MRI may then follow for confirmation of paralysis.
Resonance Exercises
Resonance exercises help strengthen supportive muscles in the larynx, increase overall vocal control, and thicken a thin or weak voice. They may also be used as part of recovery from vocal cord paralysis caused by laryngeal nerve injury. [3]
These exercises typically involve making noises like creaky doors or bell chimes; these sounds produce some backpressure in your throat which helps maintain closure of vocal folds.
Note that these exercises must be conducted gently. Any back pressure in the throat could lead a person to breathe incorrectly and strain their vocal cords once more – potentially leading to temporary voice loss or worsening an existing condition. An experienced therapist must teach these exercises to patients so they don’t experience this type of situation.
Studies conducted with this type of exercise demonstrated a dramatic improvement for patients who performed them. Researchers noted a reduction in instances of vocal cord paralysis following exercise because their increased ability to keep vocal folds closed resulted in reduced instances of laryngeal nerve compression causing paralysis.
As well as physical exercises, other measures may help individuals suffering from vocal cord paralysis to treat it effectively. This includes drinking plenty of fluids, encouraging salivation with lozenges or gum, and avoiding certain triggers which exacerbate it.
Speech therapy with specific voice and breathing exercises is often the best treatment option for vocal cord paralysis (VCD). A speech-language pathologist can instruct these exercises, helping guide a patient in performing them. In addition, speech-language pathologists are experts at encouraging proper voice hygiene as well as proper techniques for vocal care – these therapies should always be considered before resorting to surgery for VCD.
Push/Pull Exercises
Vocal cord paralysis occurs when a nerve that controls the muscles in your vocal cords (vocal folds) doesn’t open and close correctly, leading to breathing, swallowing and speaking issues that rely on their movement. Severe paralysis could impede breathing or speak clearly altogether and you should seek immediate medical assistance immediately – damage could come from trauma such as injury, surgery, stroke, virus or multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease as potential sources.
In cases of unilateral paralysis, your glottis won’t open fully when breathing in, leading to symptoms like stridor or dyspnea. Working closely with your therapist and practicing exercises designed to improve vocal cord functionality will be key in getting back your voice.
These exercises, known as glottal attack or push/pull exercises, help strengthen the intrinsic muscles responsible for closing the glottis and producing sound in speech. While they can be performed from various positions, we have discovered that best results often come when patients attempt to phonate.
This method can be used to treat bilateral and unilateral glottal closure failure caused by ageing or neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s diseases. It’s a straightforward, cost-effective solution.
Patients suffering from this condition are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, stimulate salivation with lozenges or gum and avoid stressful situations which could trigger flare-ups. We advise patients keeping a record of their symptoms and seeking medical advice immediately if their symptoms worsen or therapy does not seem effective.
Push/pull exercises are frequently taught in group settings such as speech therapy classes. To perform them effectively, patients sit comfortably on a chair while gripping both sides of their seat firmly with both hands while trying to say numbers one through ten aloud while pulling up both sides as they breathe in while trying to pronounce each number correctly. As they breathe out while saying one number at a time aloud.
