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Voice Disorders and Therapy

We now move on to Vocal cord polyps and cysts. And, as such, besides addressing the
definition and symptoms of polyp and cysts, lets understand what they are not.

First vocal cord polyps and cysts are NOT cancerous. They are both growths/lesions of
the vocal cords which polyps are often the result of some form of phono-trauma, while cysts
tend not to be associated with such occurrence. Other contributors to vocal cord polyp may be
smoking, acid reflux, etc…

Symptoms for both may include, vocal fatigue, dryness of the throat/voice or both,
various forms of dysphonia (including hoarseness, breathiness, raspiness, etc…) As well, some
complain of a lump like feeling in the throat area. Other symptoms may include loss of pitch
range, decreased ability to increase vocal intensity, and burning sensation in the throat.

While the treatment for both polyps and cysts of the vocal cords is often surgery
followed by voice therapy, in my experience I have assisted in rehabilitating patients with voice
therapy as the first option which yielded adequate improvement in preventing surgical excision
of the lesions.

For those that require surgery, it is typically 30-60 minutes and is usually a minimal
cause of pain. Accordingly, most of the time the patient may return home that day.

Again, it is important to keep in mind that if voice therapy is going to be required post-
surgery regardless, it is usually worth trying the therapy before surgery to possibly prevent the
procedure. Therapy for the aforementioned voice issues usually ranges from 8-12 sessions. The
duration of the therapy is generally due to many factors such as the patients age, nature of the
voice issue, patients’ level of discipline and motivation, as well as other factors… Typically a
fairly accurate prognosis can be given during the evaluation.

Lastly, appropriate vocal hygiene such as speaking/singing at comfortable pitch and
volume, drinking adequate water intake, and minimizing caffeine (among many other things) is
very helpful for the voice, and combined with therapy may be helpful in reducing the
underlying pathology that is present. In future articles we will discuss the benefits and tips of
appropriate vocal hygiene as well as general therapy for voice.

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