Voice and Swallowing Services

Our board certified ear, nose & throat physicians and board certified speech-language pathologist/singing voice specialist offer a comprehensive range of diagnostic/therapeutic services for voice, speech and swallowing disorders such as:

• Voice care for anyone who has experienced a voice difficulty that compromises their daily speech/communication needs (voice loss, weakness, hoarseness, fatigue)
• Voice care for the professional voice user (teachers, singers, actors, clergy, announcers, receptionists, business professionals)
• Difficulty with voice, speech and swallowing due to aging, head injury, stroke, paralysis, head and neck cancer
• Voice, speech and swallowing care for patients with neurogenic disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS
• Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)
• Vocal fold nodules, cysts and polyps
• Vocal cord malfunction and paralysis
• Vital Stim® Therapy

Diagnostic Procedures include:

• Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES)
• Flexible laryngoscopy
• Videostroboscopy for voice analysis
• In-office laryngeal biopsies

Treat your voice well – it’s the only one you have!
As the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) celebrated World Voice Day 2008, ENT doctors offered some tips to keep occupational voice users and the general public alike in tip-top vocal shape:

• Drink plenty of water. Moisture is good for your voice. Hydration helps to keep thin secretions flowing to lubricate your vocal cords.
• Try not to scream or yell. These are abusive practices for your voice, and put great strain on the lining of the vocal cords.
• Warm up your voice before heavy use. Warm-ups can be simple, such as gently gliding from low to high tones on different vowel sounds, doing lip trills (like the motorboat sound that kids make), or tongue trills.
• Use good breath support. Breath flow is the power for voice. Take time to fill your lungs before starting to talk, and don’t wait until you are almost out of air before taking another breath to power your voice.
• Use a microphone. When giving a speech or presentation, consider using a microphone to lessen the strain on your voice.
• Listen to your voice when it is complaining. Know that you need to modify and decrease your voice use if you become hoarse in order to allow your vocal cords to recover. Pushing your voice when it is already hoarse can lead to significant problems. If your voice is hoarse frequently, or for an extended period of time, you should be evaluated by an otolaryngologist, a physician trained to treat disorders of the ear, nose and throat.

To find out more about vocal health and World Voice Day, visit www.entnet.org and enter “world voice day” in search field.

For more information regarding these topics, please visit www.entnet.org

Any information provided on this Web site should not be considered medical advice or a substitute for a consultation with a physician. If you have a medical problem, contact your local physician for diagnosis and treatment.