How to treat stiff or floppy vocal cords

Introduction

Vocal cords malfunction may result in many vocal health issues, such as warts, edema, improper closure, and so on. These may be caused by an incorrect vocal practice which strains and wear off your cords, such as shouting, throat-clearing. Another possible cause is a routine overstraining of the vocal cords.

There are two main forms of vocal cords malfunction:

• Stiff Vocal Cords, or too high muscle tone
• Floppy Vocal cords or too low muscle tone

They can be detected prior to any manifestation of vocal health problem.

Description

• Stiff Vocal cords stiffness: vocal cords which are closed too hard against one another
• Floppy Vocal cords:vocal cords which are closed incompletely.

Both problems might result in an incomplete or asymmetrical closure of the vocal cords.

Most of the vocal issue diagnosed by your ENT doctors, such as lesions, or incomplete closure, result from improper vocal cords movement.

Factors such as acidity, phlegm or bacteria cause vocal cords issues indirectly, by triggering stiffness or floppiness of the vocal cords.

Treatment

There are two optimal states of the vocal cords:

• Thinning and stretching, when you ascend to high notes, speak effortlessly and sing gently
• Thickening,during “fuller” sounds.
• A preventive measure: to keep your vocal system healthy, you should regularly practice a mild, short exercise of your vocal cords, in times of vocal stress. This exercise will maintain your vocal cords flexible and allow you a smooth change from thickened to thinned cords.
• When you suffer fatigue, heartburn, or any viral or bacterial health problems, you must have a lot of drinking and vocal rest. Also, carefully avoid pressuring your voice, in order to maintain effortless sound-making.

So keep safe-and sound!

Talya,

TMRG voice specialist