Collab topic: Spasmodic Dysphonia prepared by A.vanaja speech therapist from kurnool
Spasmodic dysphonia:
Spasmodic dysphonia, or laryngeal dystonia, is a disorder affecting the voice muscles in the larynx, also called the voice box. When you speak, air from y our lungs is pushed between two elastic structures—called vocal folds—causing them to vibrate and produce your voice. In spasmodic dysphonia, the muscles inside the vocal folds spasm (make sudden, involuntary movements), interfering with vocal fold vibrations. Spasmodic dysphonia may occur along with other forms of dystonia that cause repeated spasms in other parts of the body, including the eyes, face, jaw, lips, tongue, neck, arms, or legs.
Spasmodic dysphonia causes voice breaks during speaking and can make the voice sound tight, strained, or breathy. In some people, the breaks occur once every few sentences. In more severe cases, spasms may occur on every word, making a person’s speech very difficult to understand. Some people with spasmodic dysphonia may also have vocal tremor—a shaking of the larynx and vocal folds that causes the voice to tremble.
Spasmodic dysphonia is a chronic condition that continues throughout a person’s life. Spasmodic dysphonia may develop suddenly, with severe voice symptoms present from the start of the disorder, or it may start with mild symptoms and occur.
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