Understanding And Treating Common Vocal Cord Injuries

Whether you are a kindergarten teacher or you want to make a career out of singing, you use your vocal cords every day to express yourself. No matter who you are, a vocal cord injury significantly impacts your life. You are left without the ability to communicate effectively. These common injuries can impact almost anybody.

Laryngitis is an inflammation of the voice box caused by a virus, which makes your voice hoarse. Some people even lose their voice entirely for a week. If you base your livelihood on your voice or being able to communicate, the condition can feel devastating.

This condition is not hard to diagnose. Sometimes, your doctor may diagnose the condition via a laryngoscopy. If the doctor finds something that looks like a tumor, he or she will perform a biopsy to look for cancerous cells.

For most patients, laryngitis disappears on its own with vocal cord rest and hydration. In most cases, the doctor does not prescribe medication because the infection is viral and will not subside with antibiotics.

Some patients experience chronic laryngitis, which may be linked to other conditions like smoking, a tumor, or chronic heartburn. In these cases, your doctor will treat the underlying condition in the hopes that the laryngitis will subside.

Paralysis occurs when you injure your nerves, and it can happen throughout the body - vocal cords included.

The main symptoms of vocal cord paralysis include a hoarse voice and difficulty swallowing. Some people with vocal cord paralysis struggle to even breathe. For most people, only one side of the voice boxis paralyzed, so they are still able to have some function. They may still experience choking, coughing, or the inability to speak loudly.

Nerve injuries are often caused by trauma, viral infections, and neurological diseases. Some patients come in with vocal paralysis after they have undergone surgery and their nerves or vocal cords were damaged. Cancer is also a common culprit for paralysis.

Doctors treat vocal cord paralysis by recommending either voice therapy, injections, or surgery. In some cases, paralysis heals on its own over time, so the doctor may delay your surgery to see if you are able to recover without it.

Vocal cord polyps and nodules are very small growths on the vocal cord. Thankfully, polyps are benign, which means they are not cancerous.

You may realize you have vocal polyps when you begin to feel hoarse. You could also feel you have lost vocal range or that your voice feels tired when you talk.

Often, the polyps are caused by using the vocal cords too often or by exposure to irritants. Cigarette smoke is one of the most common irritants to the throat, but you can also experience the condition as the result of allergies.

Other times, polyps result from vocal cord trauma. For singers, trauma is caused by overusing your voice. For others, common causes include talking a lot or yelling. Women between the ages of 20 and 50 are more likely to experience polyps than those in other groups, but nobody is immune from either polyps or nodules.

Doctors treat polyps in several ways. To begin, the doctor will encourage you to rest your voice. In some cases, patients require vocal cord surgery or voice therapy with a speech therapist.

Contact Wilmington Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A. , today to see if you have one of these common vocal cord issues. We can diagnose the problem and ensure you receive the treatment you need. You deserve the best care, so make an appointment with our team of compassionate professionals today.