You lost your voice. Can it bounce back?
- ingahspeech
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Have you ever had an overindulgent night out and somehow “lost your voice” the next day? What if that was prolonged and your voice didn’t seem to bounce back? That is what it might feel like to have a functional voice disorder. If a person’s voice sounds rough, their throat feels tense or in pain when speaking, or might even disappear by the end of the day, then this could be the indication of a functional voice disorder.
In speech language pathology, we break voice disorders down into a few different categories: typically organic, neurogenic, psychogenic and functional.
Functional voice disorders are often caused by misuse or overuse of the voice. The physical structure of the mechanism is normal but the voice may sound raspy, gravelly, breathy, and quiet, the pitch might break easily, and it might just hurt to produce sound. Even famous singers such as Adele have been diagnosed with functional voice disorder due to overuse.
There are many causes of functional voice disorder. Yelling and excessive throat clearing can affect the voice. Laryngitis, irritants in the air, or stress can also cause a functional voice disorder. And while the initial cause of the change in voice might be gone, the voice disorder may continue.
Is this a voice disorder?
Do you notice any of the following about your voice?
Raspy or gravelly sounding
Breathy
Pitch is abnormally too high or low or unable to vary pitch
Voice “breaks” in pitch
Voice sounds shaky
Unable to maintain appropriate volume in conversation
Voice starts off well but gone by the end of the day
Throat feels tense or in pain when speaking
Frequent throat clearing or coughing which may increase with more vocal use
Running out of breath when speaking
Feels like your breath is being held when speaking
Loss of voice entirely
What do all functional voice disorders have in common?
They’re all preventable. Our voice is produced using muscles and cartilage, just like the muscles and cartilages we rely on to carry that package up a flight of stairs or ride a bike. Pushing them too much can result in injury.
What causes these disorders?
What initially could have started as an illness such as laryngitis can result in a long-term change in the voice which may sound hoarse or may be even feel painful. Functional voice disorders are often caused by overuse and abuse. Many professions rely on their voice all day long. Teachers and coaches often suffer from functional voice disorders due to the strain of having to yell all day. Those who work in a loud environment such as a factory often develop functional voice disorders from having to make their voices heard over competing sounds. Even children can develop a functional voice disorder from excessive shouting.
What should you do?
So you’ve noticed your voice is croaky or cracks in pitch or just stops working by the end of the day. And this has been going on for quite a while, weeks or even months. Maybe you have a job where you’re required to speak all day. Or you sing in a choir and noticed your voice is spent by the end of rehearsal.
The first step is to speak with a physician familiar with voice disorders such as an ENT to rule out any underlying medical condition that could be causing the change in voice. If it is deemed a functional voice disorder, then working with a speech language pathologist to develop safe vocal techniques and hygiene would be the next step in treatment.
Listen to what your body is telling you. If ignored, functional voice disorders can lead to vocal nodules or polyps which may require more aggressive treatment. Nodules are benign growths that form on the vocal folds due to abuse and appear like hard calluses. These develop over time, so often preventable. Abuse of the voice can lead to vocal fold swelling that over a period of time, can lead to spots that form and become larger and callous, especially with continued overuse. Polyps are typically larger than a nodule and appear to look more like a blister on the vocal folds. However, both can be attributed to vocal abuse.
While this can sound scary, again, functional voice disorders are typically preventable and treatable! Maintaining good vocal health is just as important as maintaining overall health. Staying hydrated, cutting back on alcohol consumption, treating any allergies or reflux, quitting smoking, avoiding shouting over loud music or ambient noise, and allowing for vocal rest are essential to keeping a healthy, strong voice. And most definitely contact a speech therapist who can guide you to getting your voice back!
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