Voice Disorders

What Is a Voice Disorder?

Voice disorders, also known as dysphonia, occur when changes in voice quality, pitch, loudness, or vocal effort make it difficult to communicate effectively. A healthy voice is produced when air from the lungs passes between the vocal folds (commonly called the vocal cords) within the larynx (voice box), causing them to vibrate. When this system is affected, a person's voice may sound or feel different. Voice disorders can affect children and adults and may interfere with communication, work, school, and quality of life.

Signs and Symptoms of Voice Disorders

Common signs of a voice disorder include hoarseness, a raspy or breathy voice, vocal fatigue, reduced loudness, loss of vocal range, discomfort while speaking, frequent throat clearing, chronic cough, upper airway breathing difficulties, or a feeling that talking requires extra effort. Some individuals may notice that their voice cuts out unexpectedly or that they run out of breath while speaking. While temporary voice changes can occur with illnesses such as colds or allergies, hoarseness or other voice changes lasting longer than four weeks should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

Causes and Risk Factors

Voice disorders may result from vocal overuse or misuse, muscle tension dysphonia, vocal fold nodules, polyps or cysts, vocal fold paralysis, acid reflux affecting the throat (laryngopharyngeal reflux), breathing disorders such as inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) or exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO), neurological conditions, head and neck cancer, or age-related changes to the voice. Individuals who rely heavily on their voices, including teachers, coaches, singers, fitness instructors, clergy members, customer service representatives, and other professional voice users, may be at increased risk.

How Voice Disorders Are Evaluated

A comprehensive voice evaluation helps determine the cause of a voice disorder and guides treatment recommendations. Speech-language pathologists evaluate voice through discussion of symptoms and medical history, perceptual listening, questionnaires, specialized voice assessments, and collaboration with an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physician when appropriate. Instrumental assessments such as videostroboscopy may also be used to closely examine vocal fold movement and vibration.

Treatment for Voice Disorders

Treatment is individualized based on each person's diagnosis and communication needs. Voice therapy may include education on healthy voice use, exercises to improve vocal efficiency and reduce strain, respiratory retraining for breathing disorders such as ILO or EILO, and strategies to support comfortable, efficient voice production. Many individuals experience meaningful improvements in voice quality, communication, and quality of life with appropriate evaluation and treatment.

Voice Disorder Care at the Speech-Language Institute

The Speech-Language Institute at Midwestern University provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for children and adults with voice disorders. Graduate student clinicians work closely with faculty supervisors who specialize in voice disorders to provide individualized, evidence-based care. Services include comprehensive voice evaluations, videostroboscopic assessment, behavioral voice therapy, respiratory retraining for ILO and EILO, vocal hygiene education, treatment for professional voice users, and rehabilitation for neurological and structural voice disorders.

Additional Vocal Health Resources

Visit Educating Educators: Voice Care & Dysphonia Awareness on Instagram, an evidence-based educational page created by Midwestern University graduate student clinicians as part of a capstone service-learning project. The page provides practical information on vocal hygiene, dysphonia awareness, prevention strategies, and healthy voice use for educators.