Voice Therapy for Voice Disorders

It has become recently well known that voice therapy is an effective method to treat voice disorders conservatively. We introduced voice therapy for various kinds of voice disorders. 224 cases (73 males and 151 females) with voice disorders were treated at Ehime University Hospital 1998 and 2008. The wide range of maladies consisted of vocal nodules, laryngeal granulomas, sulcus vocalis and atrophies, vocal fold paralyses, and functional voice disorders. Methods of treatment included vocal hygiene education, laryngeal relaxation maneuvering, abdominal breathing, pitch adjustment, resonant voice therapy and the accent method. In performing a structured therapeutic program, the needs of each patient should be considered. Close cooperation between otolaryngologists and speech therapists is mandatory. Surgical management should be considered in cases where insufficient improvement has resulted from voice therapy.