Evaluation and treatment of individuals experiencing speech production difficulties as a result of neurological conditions (e.g., stroke, head trauma, Parkinson's disease).
The Voice & Upper Airway Clinic evaluates and treats individuals who wish to restore a balance between the 3 bodily systems responsible for producing the voice (respiration, phonation, and resonance). An imbalance in these systems may stem from a number of issues including:
| Frequent voice use | Dry/scratchy throat |
| Hoarseness | Sensation of something caught in throat (globus) |
| Vocal fatigue | Running out of breath when speaking |
| Pitch changes | Difficulty swallowing |
| Loss of singing voice | Chronic cough |
Sometimes these symptoms may be caused by anatomic variations of the larynx (nodules, polyps, vocal fold paralysis), but sometimes the problem lies primarily within the physiology of the vocal folds. In either case, voice therapy may be beneficial in improving the voice.
Voice therapy includes, but is not limited to:
- Therapy for pediatric and aging voices
- Respiratory re-training for Vocal Cord Dysfunction and breathing difficulty with/without exercise
- Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for individuals with Parkinson Disease
- Pre-and post-surgical voice treatment Singing voice therapy
- Cough suppression therapy
- Alaryngeal speech training following laryngectomy
(removal of the voice box)
Comprehensive voice evaluations include cutting edge, state state-of -the-art instrumentation such as videostroboscopy, acoustic analysis, and aerodynamic analysis analysis.
This Clinic also manages certain disorders of head, neck, & aerodigestive function that may impact swallowing or communication (e.g. head & neck cancer management before, during, and after treatment, certain neurological/neuromuscular conditions).