title: Manual circumlaryngeal therapy for functional dysphonia: an evaluation of short- and long-term treatment outcomes.
abstract: Manual circumlaryngeal therapy (manual laryngeal musculoskeletal tension reduction) was used to treat 25 consecutive functional dysphonia patients. Pre- and post-treatment audio recordings of connected speech and sustained vowel samples were submitted to auditory-perceptual and acoustical analysis to assess the immediate and long-term effects of a single treatment session. To complement audio recordings, subjects were interviewed in follow-up regarding the stability of treatment effects. Pre- and post-treatment comparisons demonstrated significant voice improvements. No significant differences were observed between post-treatment measures, suggesting that vocal gains were maintained. Interviews revealed 68% of subjects reported occasional partial recurrences, typically less than 4 days in duration, which resolved spontaneously. These results replicate and extend previous research suggesting the utility of manual circumlaryngeal therapy for functional voice disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53792-2436, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bless
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heisey
authors.forename: C N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*