What are voice disorders?

Voice production

Voice is the sound created when air from the lungs passes through the larynx (voice box) and out of the mouth or nose. The larynx sits between the base of the tongue and the top of the trachea (windpipe). Inside your larynx are two bands of muscular tissue that sit opposite each other. These bands of tissue are called the vocal folds (vocal cords). The vocal folds open when we breath to allow air to pass in and out of our body and close when we swallow to protect our airway. Voice is generated by airflow from the lungs as the muscles of the larynx bring the vocal folds close together. The air pressure causes the vocal folds to vibrate which produces puffs of air that convert to sound. This sound is just a soft buzz at this point. As the sound continues to travel through the throat it is amplified and modified by the vocal tract resonators (the pharynx, mouth cavity and nasal passages). The shape, size and muscle tension of the vocal tract resonators determines the characteristic sound of your own unique voice. 

Voice disorders

Voice disorders occur when there is abnormality or changes to a person’s respiratory, laryngeal or resonating systems that disrupts normal vocal fold vibration and causes atypical pitch, loudness and quality of the voice. Disruptions to voice production can be due to structural, neurological, functional (i.e. sub-optimal voice use) or psychological causes. Voice disorders are known to decrease effective communication and can have a dramatic impact on a person’s occupational, social, physical and psychological well-being. About 3 in 10 individuals will experience a voice disorder at some point in their life.

Symptoms of voice disorders

The number, severity and impact of voice disorder symptoms vary between individuals depending on a number of factors such as the type of voice disorder, concomitant health issues and occupational or social vocal demands. The onset of symptoms can appear suddenly or arise gradually overtime. In addition, some people find that their symptoms are always present while others only experience them intermittently. Common symptoms include:
  • Hoarse, breathy or strained voice  
  • Pitch is too high or too low, unstable or monotonous
  • Soft/whispered voice
  • Reduced range of pitch or volume
  • Voice cracks or stops
  • Voice tremors
  • Vocal fatigue or discomfort with prolonged voice use
  • Voicing feels effortful
  • Difficulty projecting voice or being heard over background noise
  • Running out of breath when talking
  • Physical sensations in the throat or neck such as irritation, pain, muscle tension or the feeling of a lump in the throat
  • Frequent coughing or throat clearing 
  • Difficulty breathing or the feeling of the throat tightening or closing 

Treatment of voice disorders

Voice therapy provided by a Speech Pathologist is the first line treatment approach for the majority of voice disorders. Please see our voice therapy page for more information.