There are medical and behavioral interventions or treatments available for various voice disorders. Some of the common ones are listed here with explanations. Some of these disorders will also have surgical options.

  • Vocal overdoers
    • People who like to talk and typically suffer from swellings on the vocal folds, also commonly called vocal nodules or vocal polyps.
  • Vocal underdoers
    • People who do not talk much and typically suffer from thinning or atrophy of the vocal folds, also commonly called bowing or presbyphonia. A partial recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis can cause the same thing.
  • Vocal hyperfunction and muscle tension dysphonia
    • This term covers several different types of disorders, including muscle tension dysphonia.
  • Dystonia
    • Spasmodic dysphonia belongs to a family of neurologic disorders called dystonias. Spasmodic dysphonia may sound like a choking off or a whispery voice. Also called SD or ADductor SD or ABductor SD. It is often associated with vocal tremor.
  • Vocal tremor
  • Cough
    • Chronic cough from a tickle in the throat.
  • Lump
    • The sensation of a lump in the throat. Also called globus or globus hystericus or cricopharyngeal spasm.
  • Laryngospasm
    • The 30 seconds, give or take, of cutting off of breathing where you feel like you are going to die. Breathing in sounds ghastly, but somehow you start getting air again.