The Assessment Methods of Laryngeal Muscle Activity in Muscle Tension Dysphonia: A Review

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the methods used for the assessment of muscular tension dysphonia (MTD). The MTD is a functional voice disorder associated with abnormal laryngeal muscle activity. Various assessment methods are available in the literature to evaluate the laryngeal hyperfunction. The case history, laryngoscopy, and palpation are clinical methods for the assessment of patients with MTD. Radiography and surface electromyography (EMG) are objective methods to provide physiological information about MTD. Recent studies show that surface EMG can be an effective tool for assessing muscular tension in MTD.

Effects of a Voice Therapy Program for Patients with Muscle Tension Dysphonia

“…The group of participants examined in the present study consisted mainly of middle-aged women with hyperfunctional voice patterns, which corresponds to past descriptions in the literature [2, 6, 9]. Voice complaints, such as hoarseness, voice alterations, and excessive effort when speaking, stood out as the most common concerns.…”

“…First, the study was carried out in an outpatient clinic specialized in otorhinolaryngology, where patients are commonly diagnosed with laryngeal pathologies and referred to speech therapy. Secondly, past research has shown that most patients with MTD have the secondary type, since it is a voice disorder whose medium- to long-term consequence is laryngeal disorders [2, 9]. …”

“…The presence of a secondary pathology along with the voice disorder causes muscle imbalance due to a compensation mechanism. The most common pathological settings in those cases are glottic chinks, edemas, polyps, and nodules [8, 9]. …”

“…Studies have reported complaints, such as hoarseness, throat irritation, frequent choking, pain in the neck and cervical region, discomfort when speaking, and vocal fatigue [8-10]. In perceptual-auditory and acoustic assessments, studies have described the presence of hoarseness, breathiness, roughness, vocal strain, hard glottal attack, laryngopharyngeal resonance, and fundamental frequency (F 0 ), jitter, and shimmer above normal levels [1, 4, 9, 11]. In addition, there are reports of elevation and tension in the cervical region during inhaling movement, besides reduced maximum phonation times (MPTs) [12-14].…”

La estimulación eléctrica transcutánea de tipo acupuntura como herramienta aceleradora de la recuperación de los tejidos expuestos a sobrecarga vocal

“…Cada uno de estos elementos es sensible a la sobrecarga o al sobreuso que ofrecen agentes mecánicos como la fonación (O'Rourke et al, 2014). Cuando la sobrecarga es intensa o repetitiva, estos tejidos expresan una serie de signos y síntomas vocales, los que incluyen a la odinofonía (Jung et al, 2017) y, en algunos casos, a la aparición de compresión supraglótica (Khoddami, Nakhostin Ansari, Izadi, & Talebian, 2013). Se ha teorizado que la sobreactividad del tirohioideo incide directamente en la aparición de compresión medial (Van Houtte, Van Lierde, & Claeys, 2011).…”