Vocal Injury

It is fairly easy to injure the vocal cords!

Causes

-Forceful singing, yelling, screaming, loud talking can cause the vocal cords to hit very hard and result in injury to the cords these are forms of vocal abuse

-Whispering!  This can put great strain on the larynx Vocal overuse

-Excessive amounts of phonating (singing/talking) can also lead to injury (vocal overuse)

 -Singing/Talking for too long

-Habitual throat clearing

-Nodules, polyps, laryngitis and hemorrhage of the cords are possible effects of such vocal abuse

-Smoking also has dramatic effects on the larynx!

Nodules (also called “nodes”): 

 A common injury that is essentially a small growth found on both of the cords, nodules are much like a callus on the hand or foot; Nodules keep the cords from fully closing, resulting in a harsh/breathy voice

Laryngitis

Laryngitis is the inflammation of the vocal cords; it may be the result of reactions to allergies, bacterial or fungal infections, or the result of vocal overuse. With laryngitis, the vocal cords often swell too much to correctly close, resulting in the lack of phonation.