Why We Loose Our Voice?

Voice problems can happen to anybody at any age. Sometimes it takes years to develop but sometimes it can develop quickly. There are many reasons for having voice problems and one of them is due to nodules on your vocal chords.

If you are suffering from a broken tone for weeks or you have lost your voice—the reason could be nodules on your vocal chord. Vocal chord nodules are thickening and swelling on the edge of the chord. It can become harder and more fiberotic with time. Misuse of vocal chords over a period can bang them together with force resulting in formation of vocal nodules.

The presence of these nodules can make your voice horse and breathy. Nodules are mainly caused due to increased trauma. Misuse or abuse of the voice can also lead to this frustrating problem. Moreover, using incorrect pitch, excessive tension in the neck muscle, excessive shouting, coughing etc can also lead you to face this problem in the near future. Sometimes respiratory infections, exposure to smoke, allergies, hormonal imbalance or even fatigue can cause this problem.

Most importantly, you must consult a doctor if the problem persists. It is critical to rule out squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx. An indirect laryngoscopy will be done by the specialist to see the vocal chord. To treat your vocal nodules you need to take voice rest, speech therapy and sometimes surgery. You need to reduce your vocal use and eliminate bad vocal habits that created the problem. Little or no speaking for several weeks maybe required, it will help your chords rest. A speech therapy is given for six months—two times a week.

Generally these nodules resolve after therapy but sometimes they are to be removed surgically. But surgery does not guarantee there not coming back and is not advisable in children.