title: Effect of performance time of the high-pitched blowing vocal exercise in the voice of women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the results of the runtimes of one, three, five, and seven minutes of the high-pitched blowing vocal exercise in women without voice complaints and with dysphonia and vocal nodules.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an experimental study with a consecutive and convenience sample of 60 women divided into two groups: 30 participants with dysphonia caused by vocal fold nodules (study group - SG) and 30 participants without vocal complaints (control group - CG). All participants performed the high-pitched blowing vocal exercise for one, three, five, and seven minutes. Sustained vowels /a/ and counting from one to ten were recorded before and after each exercise runtime. The recordings were randomized and evaluated by comparison task by four speech-language pathologists using the parameters grade of vocal deviation, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain and instability (GRBASI). The acoustic parameters analyzed were fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, period perturbation quotient, amplitude perturbation quotient, and harmonics-to-noise ratio. After each vocal exercise runtime, the participants responded whether they had felt vocal discomfort using a visual analogue scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Auditory-perceptual analysis in the SG showed improved overall severity of dysphonia and breathiness after three minutes and worsening of these acoustic parameters after seven minutes of exercise performance. Participants in the SG reported self-perception of vocal discomfort after seven minutes of exercise performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ideal prescription time for the high-pitched blowing vocal exercise in dysphonic women is three minutes; worsening of voice quality and perception of vocal discomfort occurs after seven minutes.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Fonoaudiológicas, Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG - Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil.
authors.forename: Fabíola Santos
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fonoaudiologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG - Belo Horizonte (MG), Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Cristina Côrtes
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gama
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D055154:Dysphonia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D014833:Voice Quality; D014834:Voice Training; D055815:Young Adult