title: Voice disorders: abuse, misuse and functional problems.
abstract: Having a vocal complaint is not uncommon, especially among professional voice users. Medically managing hoarseness is often delayed because the physician or patient fails to understand the vocal behavior that precipitated the voice disorder. Improper breathing and/or abusive vocal patterns are the main predisposing factors to functional voice disorders, the most common category of vocal pathology. Successful management of functionalvoice disorders includes identifying and then modifying aberrant vocal and breathing patterns. Unless these changes are made, a vocal disorder will either persist or commonly recur.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, USA. eisenbjf@slu.edu
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Eisenbeis
authors.forename: Dennis P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Fuller
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006685:Hoarseness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D014827:Vocal Cords / Q000473:pathology*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy