I am doing this page on spasmodic dysphonia as after I was diagnosed with this voice problem in 2007, I wanted to share my story and explain to people about this relatively unknown condition. I also wanted other DS patients to know that they are not alone in dealing with this problem and that they can visit my forum for people with Spasmodic Dysphonia to share opinions, treatments, exercises, etc.

Explanation of the condition and my story

Spasmodic dysphonia (DS) is a voice disorder that involves involuntary “spasms” of the vocal cords during speech, causing interruptions and affecting voice quality. SD can cause the voice to crack or have a tight, tense, or strangled tone.

There are three types of spasmodic dysphonia: adductor, abductor, and mixed.

Adductor – Involves sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms that cause the vocal cords (or vocal cords) to hit and stiffen. These spasms make it difficult for the vocal cords to vibrate and produce a voice. Words are often cut off or difficult to start due to muscle spasms. Making speech choppy and hoarse. The voice is commonly described as strangled or strangled. Generally, spasms are absent when whispering, laughing, singing, speaking in a high tone, or breathing. However, stress often aggravates muscle spasms.

Adductor – Involves sudden involuntary muscle movements or spasms that cause the vocal cords to open during speech. The open position of the vocal cords allows air to escape from the lungs during speech. As a result, the voice sounds weak, calm, breathy, and whispery. As with adductor spasmodic dysphonia, spasms are often absent during activities such as laughing or singing.

And finally Mixed – These are muscles that open the vocal cords, as well as muscles that close the vocal cords and, therefore, have characteristics of adductor and abductor spasmodic dysphonia.

The exact cause of spasmodic dysphonia is unknown and it can affect anyone, although it appears that more women are affected than men. The general medical consensus is that MS is a central nervous system disorder and a focal form of dystonia. Dystonia is the general neurological term for a variety of problems characterized by excessive contraction of the muscles with associated abnormal movements and postures.

Dystonia disorders are believed to be due to abnormal function in the area of ​​the brain called the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia, which are structures deep in the brain that help coordinate muscle movements throughout the body.

At present, there is no known cure for spasmodic dysphonia and current available treatments only help to temporarily relive the symptoms of this voice disorder. Voice therapy can reduce some symptoms, especially in mild cases. The toxin weakens the muscles by blocking the nerve impulse to the muscle. The injections generally improve the voice over a period of three to four months, after which the voice symptoms gradually return. Re-injections are necessary every 3-6 months indefinitely to maintain a good speaking voice. Initial side effects that usually go away after a few days to a few weeks may include a temporary weak and choppy voice and / or occasional difficulty swallowing.

I was officially diagnosed by a doctor in March 2007, but I first noticed a problem with my voice around 2002. I worked a job where I spoke on the phone constantly, all day every day and had been since 1998. I started to notice that the strange word in my sentences started to sound funny and I realized that if I repeated that particular word, no matter how hard I tried to make it sound “normal”, it wouldn’t. At first, I just ignored it and kept struggling with my speech. But then people started to notice, which made me feel even more aware of this problem.

During the following years it was a downward spiral from there and the spasms and interruptions in my speech became more frequent, almost always in other words. I was afraid of having to talk to people and hated talking on the phone as it seemed to make the condition worse, my throat muscles tightened so much that I felt like I was being strangled by myself! I literally had to force and push the words, it was extremely exhausting having to put all this effort into speaking and at the end of the day I was exhausted.

I started doing some research on the internet to find out what this problem was and I heard a clip from a patient with DS, I knew instantly that this was what he had. I first visited a speech therapist and had a few sessions with her, but the exercises initially didn’t seem to help my voice. She recommended talking to the otolaryngologist (Otorhinolaryngologist) at the local hospital, as he was a Spasmodic Dysphonia specialist.

I was then referred to this ENT doctor who inspected my throat using fiberoptic nasolaryngoscopy, a method by which a small lighted tube is passed through the nose into the throat, a useful tool that allowed him to assess my movement. vocal cords during speech. He confirmed the SD right away and explained that the only current treatment was botox injections into my vocal cords every three months. I tried this method for about a year, but it wasn’t getting the desired results so I don’t have them anymore.

Right now I am just practicing with different exercises and my speech seems to have improved slightly over the past year so I will continue to persevere. I have read and talked to some people who have largely outgrown SD using various techniques, who are a great inspiration and give me hope that one day I can overcome SD too.

I discovered that DS is a life-changing condition, most people take their voice for granted and losing that privilege is something that is difficult to accept. So I decided to create a forum for other DS patients so that we can chat about it, get support / advice from each other, and generally speak with someone else who understands and is in the same boat.

I hope this forum is a lifesaver for other SD sufferers, we can all fight this battle together. Can be found here Spasmodic dysphonia forum