As a singer, it is imperative that you keep your vocal health a priority. To maintain a healthy, robust voice, it is a good idea to learn about different voice disorders so you can know what to do to take care of your voice, and how to recognize symptoms of a voice disorder if they start to arise.
First and foremost, if you ever find yourself with a voice disorder, it is important to note that there is nothing wrong with you. You are not weaker than other singers, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Things happen! And the fault does not just rest on your shoulders. The pressures and demands placed on professional singers and vocal performance students are quite high, and often not sustainable for long periods of time. Or if you struggle with chronic tension, or chronic health issues, these can contribute to disorders as well. The biggest thing to remember is that there are professionals available to treat you and help you recover. Below are the most common vocal fold disorders and how to receive treatment for them.
Laryngitis is a condition where your vocal cords and your larynx swell up, thus creating symptoms like hoarseness, sore throat, cough, and occasional fever. There are many things that can cause laryngitis to occur. It often comes as a byproduct of an illness like the flu, covid, or other viral infection. You can also create laryngitis yourself through excessive overuse of the voice. To treat this, vocal rest and hydration is key. It is recommended to meet with a medical professional to make sure that you are taking the right steps to recovery.
For the following three disorders, it is recommended to go get your voice scoped (called a laryngoscopy) from an ENT or speech language pathologist if you recognize any of these symptoms in your voice. These medical professionals can diagnose and recommend treatment accordingly.
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Vocal nodules are non-cancerous calluses developed on the vocal folds. You typically find one on each vocal fold in the same space, and the nodules exist where the vocal cords receive the most pressure while vibrating. Vocal nodules form often due to chronic overuse of the voice. Symptoms of vocal nodules are persistent hoarseness, raspiness or breathiness, vocal fatigue, pain in the throat, and having difficulty reaching higher or lower notes.
A vocal polyp is a non-cancerous growth on one vocal fold, similar to a blister. These can form due to chronic overuse of the voice, vocal injury, or overexposure to things that irritate your vocal cords. Symptoms of a polyp are similar to nodules, where you would experience persistent hoarseness, raspiness or breathiness, constant vocal fatigue, etc. You also will notice that there are sudden breaks in your voice that were not there before, or an inability to reach certain high notes.
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Vocal cord paralysis is where one of the vocal cords doesn’t vibrate properly. This happens as a result of many factors, including injury to the neck or head, a stroke, surgery complications, a tumor or cancer, neurological disorders, or an infection.
To prevent getting a voice disorder to the best of your ability, I recommend staying hydrated and using proper technique in both speech and singing consistently. While this can’t guarantee 100% vocal health, it will certainly lessen the changes, as well as set you up for success in your singing career.
