Muscle tension dysphonia/ vocal problems

[Zippidy123]

Last year I was diagnosed with MTD after struggling with my voice for a couple of years. I've been through speech therapy with the NHS which has really helped and I've learnt a lot. I did search on here for advice but didn't find any. I just wanted to post a summary of everything I learnt in case someone else tries to find help on this board.

Look after your throat
-Half a cup of boiling water every morning, inhale the steam through the nose.
-Drink plenty
-limit lozenges which can be drying
-limit caffeine
-treat any acid reflux

breathing
-breath is the power of the voice.
-learn how to breathe fron the diaphragm (see worksheet attached)

lax vox

This helped me immensely. Do for 2 minutes throughout the day (eg 5 times)

resonant voice therapy
-this focuses on the M sound made by humming, the sound comes from the lips not the throat.
-see attached worksheets.
-very helpful if your voice breaks or has 'vocal fry'

Worksheets

worksheets

Worksheets

The worksheets have posted in the wrong order. Work from right to left.

I hope this might help someone one day.

Thank you - hopefully I'm that person it will help!😀I was diagnosed a couple of months back, waiting for speech therapy but meantime it is so frustrating and I really feel it limits my ability to communicate. I will settle down for a proper read now!

Thank you! This is helpful!

I'm glad you've both found this, I wasn't expecting it to help anyone so quickly. I think a lot of people are struggling with MTD post covid (mine wasn't triggered by covid though)

Anxiety is playing a huge part for me and that's something I'm finding very difficult to get a grip of. It's like a mental block, a fear of long conversations. I'm avoiding social situations where I know I'll have to talk alot. I think peri menopause is kicking in. The MTD is better when I've not got pre menstrual Anxiety.

Sorry to ramble, its just nice to find people who might understand!

How did yours start? How does it effect you? Mine is a tight, strangling feeling in my neck, sore throat and then the worst it when it really kicks in and my vocal chords become so tight my voice sounds robotic. Very embarrassing.

The exercises really help to warm up the voice, loosen everything up. The lax vox makes my larynx feel open and free again. All still a work in progress though.

This all looks interesting! Off to Google...

I know this is an old thread but I think I have this. How are you? I’m really worried about the recovery. My vocal cords are a mess and have been spasming they’re so tight. I just wanted to talk to someone else who has this to see if there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. I’m 6 months into symptoms

Hi! I’m doing well thanks, I do my vocal exercises every morning which help. The MTD is still there but it hasn’t progressed at all which was one of my main concerns.

I’m on escitalopran for anxiety which has been amazing as I was really in a spiral.

Im sure mine has been due to peri menopause, I do wonder what will happen when I reach menopause-if it’ll get better or worse.

Have you seen your gp yet?

A news reader called Polly Evan’s recently did an interview on radio 4 about her vocal problems, very very interesting, I’ll try and link it.

You will come out the other side of this, you’ll adapt and learn to cope, it’s very frightening at the start though.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0mv6f7c

Worth a listen just to hear someone else’s experience.

Thank you so much for replying @Zippidy123 that means a lot. I’m so pleased you’ve got yours under control, that’s brilliant news. Out of interest which excercise has helped you the most do you feel? There are so many!

I called the GP today again for what feels like the hundredth time and finally someone actually listened to me and referred me to a speech therapist. They keep bouncing me about in gastro and we’re ignoring the throat issue as a private ent just said it’s globus and it’ll go away 🙄

I felt like I was being strangled to death trying to fall asleep last night and then when I wake up like it too I’m really losing hope. I’m 42 and I think signs of peri menopause are starting to show… I wonder if that’s got something to do with this I didn’t think. Are you on any hrt do you mind me asking that’s maybe helped or made it worse? I’m not on anything at the moment.

I’m not on any HRT….yet but I do also wonder if it would help, I’ve got some other health issues at the moment so the HRT etc is on the back burner for now but definitely something for the future.

I started with all the exercises but now I just steam my throat in the morning (just inhaling a cup of boiling water) and then I do the straw exercises (blowing bubbles). That’s enough to get things warmed up. I keep a bottle and straw in the car if I need more during the day.