Do you clear your throat a lot? Do you have phlegm in your throat that just won’t go away? Do you suffer from coughing attacks? Do you feel like your voice gets tired by the end of the day? These are just a few symptoms that may indicate the need to get a voice evaluation done with a speech therapist. The following are all symptoms that a speech therapist can help with:
- Hoarseness
- Breathiness
- Vocal fatigue
- Decreased or loss of vocal range
- Vocal strain
- Pain while speaking
- Chronic cough or throat clearing
- Vocal fold paralysis
- Difficulty getting loud
- Tightness, burning, or discomfort while speaking
- Sensation of something “stuck in the throat”
- Can’t get air in”
- Tightening of the throat
- Vocal fold nodules, polyps, cysts
- Stridor
Some people come to see me for an evaluation with obvious hoarseness of voice or explain that their voice just isn’t the same as it used to be. If you feel like your voice is not your own…it probably isn’t your new normal and you don’t have to just live with it! Other people come to see me for a voice evaluation and say “I don’t know why the ENT sent me…there is nothing wrong with my voice.” However, the root cause of a lot of different symptoms like chronic cough, burning, discomfort, fatigue, or tightness in the throat is a voice issue at the core.
If you experience any of the above symptoms or can relate to any of the things mentioned above, coming to get a voice evaluation at the Boise Speech and Hearing Clinic might benefit you greatly. During the evaluation the speech therapist will get your history and find out your concerns, do a simple endoscopic procedure called videostroboscopy to look at your throat and vocal cords, assess your vocal health, and assess if there are any other factors that may be negatively impacting your voice such as reflux, medications, or poor vocal use without even knowing it. Voice therapy is the unexpected answer to a lot of frustrating and unexplainable symptoms you may be experiencing!
