Muscle Tension Dysphonia

Written by: Anna Pasternak / Voice Therapy / March 10, 2021 / 8 minutes read

Sometimes we have clients coming into the clinic who have lost their voice or have had a sudden change in their voice. This often can be a result of Muscle Tension Dysphonia  which is known to be one of the most common voice disorders. They may experience  a change of feel or sound to the voice due to tension in the muscles that surround the larynx. This includes tension in the neck, jaw, throat, and tongue. Muscles can become tight and this makes it difficult for the individual to use their voice efficiently. 

Muscle tension dysphonia can occur in both men and women and is usually caused by abuse or misuse of the voice. It can also occur after someone has been sick with laryngitis or a cold/flu. It often occurs in those who have asthma and acid reflux as well. When people experience stress or emotional life changes this can also cause tension in the muscles which may lead to muscle tension dysphonia. It is important to not only take care of physical self but mental as well, especially during these stressful time of COVID-19.

Muscle tension dysphonia is often found in those who require to use their voice a lot at work, such as teachers, singers and other professions where there is  a high demand for voice use throughout the day. 

Muscle tension dysphonia may make the voice sound weak, hoarse, breathy, strained, tense or rough. That doesn’t mean it has to have all these symptoms though at least two will be present. Another symptom may be that the voice is suddenly cutting out and getting weaker as the person speaks throughout the day. I have most often had clients come to the clinic directly with a referral from an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist (ENT) or their General Practitioner. The ENT will diagnose this as they can scope (send a camera down to the throat) the individual and see whether there is a structural issue. If everything appears to be healthy, they may suspect that tension is causing the problems.

Muscle tension dysphonia can occur in both men and women and is usually caused by abuse or misuse of the voice.

A Speech Language Pathologist can then begin a treatment plan for the client which is always individualized depending on what they are feeling  and the cause of the muscle tension. 

Treatment can involve many different areas. The client will receive vocal hygiene education, which teaches the client about the ways someone may abuse or misuse their voice and some strategies to use to help overcome those unbeneficial habits. Some strategies may include staying hydrated, taking periods of voice rest throughout the day, not yelling, and reducing  speaking time.  

Treatment from an SLP will target the internal speech mechanisms but also occasionally the external. Internal techniques include working on vocal function exercises, diaphragmatic breathing , and resonance. Whereas external techniques target the external muscles and this is often accomplished by a laryngeal massage. The plan and treatment will be determined by the SLP after an initial consultation has been conducted with the client, in order to form an individualized plan to meet their needs. 

The length of receiving voice therapy from an SLP will also vary for each client as the circumstances for each client will defer. It is always important to seek out help from a speech language pathologist when having issues with voice in order to begin with the healing process of your voice and learn how to make necessary changes to help support therapy and an efficient healthy voice in the long run. 

To speak with one of the speech-language pathologists at Well Said: Toronto Speech Therapy, schedule an initial consultation by clicking the link below or calling (647) 795-5277.