Positive Effects of Manual Circumlaryngeal Therapy in the Treatment of Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD): Long Term Treatment Outcomes.

INTRODUCTION

Manual circumlaryngeal therapy (MCT) aims to correct laryngeal position and relax (para) laryngeal and cervical muscles resulting in improved voice quality. The goal of the current study was to further verify long-term effects of MCT in the treatment of Muscle Tension Dysphonia (MTD) patients based on acoustic findings and perceptual judgments.

METHOD: Twenty-eight adult female patients who had been referred to the speech therapy clinic of Khatam Hospital, Zahedan city, participated in this study. Manual circumlaryngeal therapy was undertaken. There were 15 therapy sessions, three sessions per week, each with duration of 30 minutes. Pre- and post-treatment audio recordings of sustained vowels, selected sentences, and connected speech samples were submitted to auditory-perceptual and acoustical analysis to assess the long-term (6-months) effects of the 15 treatment program.

RESULTS

Acoustically, Harmonic to Noise Ratio (HNR) increased and perturbation (Jitter and Shimmer) measures decreased, and perceptually, the subjective CAPE-V ratings improved in all patients.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that MCT can be an effective method for voice rehabilitation in patients with MTD and the changes due to the therapy were persistent over a 6-month duration following the termination of treatment sessions.