How your ENT specialists in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Okeechobee, FL, can help with a voice disorder

If you are having difficulty with speech, you could have a voice disorder. Fortunately, your ENT specialist is an expert at diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders.

The ear, nose, and throat specialists at South Coast Ear, Nose & Throat provide a full range of ENT services, including treatment for voice disorders. They have three convenient office locations in Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Okeechobee, FL, to help you.

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or ASHA, a voice disorder, also known as dysphonia, is a condition during which the pitch, loudness, and quality of voice is not correct for a person’s characteristics, related to gender, age, cultural background and other factors.

There are four types of voice disorders:

Structural, in which there is a physical problem with the voice mechanism. Common examples of structural voice disorders include:

• Laryngitis or leukoplakia
• Ulcers or cysts
• Polyps or growths
• Trauma or hemorrhage

Neurological, in which there is a problem with the nervous system responsible for voice. Examples of neurological voice disorders include:

• Tremors
• Parkinson’s disease
• Spasmodic dysphonia
• Paralysis
• Myasthenia gravis

Functional, in which the voice mechanism doesn’t work correctly or efficiently. Examples of functional voice disorders include:

• Muscle tension
• Constriction of the pharynx
• Ventricular phonation
• Vocal fold bowing

Psychogenic, in which the voice is compromised due to an unresolved psychological issue. Examples of psychogenic voice disorders include:

• Conversion dysphonia
• Puberphonia

You may have a voice disorder if you experience:

• Roughness and breathiness
• Increased effort to speak
• Strangled speech
• Abnormal pitch or volume
• Loss of voice, or breaks in speech
• A weak or hoarse voice
• Pulsed speech
• Fatigue with speaking
• Becoming breathless when speaking

If you notice any of the symptoms listed above, it’s important to visit your ENT specialist for treatment.

To learn more about the four types of voice disorders and their treatment, call the ear, nose, and throat specialists at South Coast Ear, Nose & Throat. You can reach them in Port St. Lucie, FL, at (772) 398-9911, Fort Pierce, at (772) 464-6055, and in Okeechobee, FL, at (863) 357-7791, so call today.