A lot of my work involves speaking and my voice feels strained and hoarse at the end of the day. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Question

Patricia Welty · Accepted Answer

Every treatment program begins with a comprehensive one-on-one evaluation with a licensed speech language pathologist who will guide you through a series of examinations designed to evaluate your voice, speech, and communication skills. The assessment will help your SLP determine if your speaking difficulties are due to overuse, misuse, or abuse of your voice (requiring therapeutic intervention), or from lack of voice and speech training (requiring education and communication training).

If your voice consistently feels tired or strained, you may benefit from techniques to help you engage in proper breath support and control. You may also benefit from vocal exercises designed to strengthen your voice, including pitch, loudness, and intonation. Exercises may also include work to help you use appropriate stress patterns, pausing, and phrasing when speaking. These exercises will improve the strength, coordination, and efficiency of your voice while decreasing the physical tension you may experience when speaking. Your practice will also work to enhance your overall delivery to help you have greater control of your voice and your overall delivery when speaking.

Your SLP will consider your medical history, strengths and weaknesses noted during the evaluation process, responsiveness to trialed therapy techniques, personal goals, and other factors that will impact your prognosis for improvement. This information is used to design your customized treatment program.

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