"The rumor is a litmus test of the general state of health", explains the expert to whom international artists rely. From reflux, to neck pain and headache, there are many ailments linked to the 'uvula'. Hoarseness and lump in the throat alarm bells
Milan, April 16 (AdnKronos Health)
In the beginning there is the hoarseness, with the irresistible urge to cough constantly to clear the throat. Or there is that lump in the throat that just doesn't go down, that pushes you to compulsively swallow and still doesn't go away. The 'sick voice' looks like this and often hides problems that, at least in appearance, have nothing to do with the voice: from muscular or vertebral disorders to digestive ones.
The insiders call them 'dysphonias', a growing epidemic in the frenetic society of noises that stun, of the cell phone to talk to 24 hours a day, of life-threatening lifestyles and of the smog that at times returns to fade its grip. But if the environmental factors weigh, and not a little, "frequently when the voice does not come out or comes out badly, the reason must be sought elsewhere: a gastroesophageal reflux, a headache, a cervical, a stiff neck, a whiplash. the cause or the effect, because the voice is a litmus test of the general state of health ", explains to AdnKronos Salute Valentina Carlile, the osteopath of the stars who has built a career on the treatment of the voice disorders.
There are many illustrious names that have ended up in the hands of the expert. In her curriculum she boasts collaborations with tours organized by the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga. From this year the young Milanese, a member of the Roi board (Registry of osteopaths of Italy), is registered with the Voice Foundation based in the USA in Philadelphia. And as a member of the organization he is at the forefront of events - 505 in 55 countries - which today April 16, World Day of the Voice 2015, gather professionals from all over the world: otolaryngologists, speech therapists, speech therapists and osteopaths of the uvula. 'of which the Italian is a pioneer. Singing artists and teachers are also on the field, with performances by individuals or academies, reports and reports on new clinical studies.
The false diagnoses of 'hysterical dysphonias' that send the patient to the psychologist
"To alter the voice there can be edema, ulcerations, cysts or nodules in the vocal cords - lists the osteopath - Sometimes congenital anomalies also come into play. But in all cases in which none of these factors or organic damage is present, then we speak of 'functional dysphonia'. It means that phonatory biomechanics, that is the set of structures and mechanisms that determine and regulate the emission of the voice, does not work as it should ". The problem is not serious and yet it is rampant. "It affects many artists and many ordinary workers: teachers, speakers, managers, salespeople and fitness trainers." Those who mark the rhythm and sequence of the exercises with the voice, often very high to be heard beyond the music. "They work a lot on the musculature, but sometimes they do it in an uncoordinated way."
In practice, a vicious circle is triggered: "The malfunctioning of the vocal structures alters and lowers the voice, those who cannot help but talk continuously strive to get it out, the neck muscles swell, the laryngeal box is further affected and the voice gets worse instead of healing ". And this despite the drugs taken: "Anti-inflammatories in sprays or tablets, if not even antidepressants. In many cases, in fact, when there is no organic problem at the base, the figures to which the patient is addressed blame the stress or disorders of the mood, and the person who has already gone through otolaryngologists, speech therapists and speech therapists is referred to the psychologist or mental doctor ".
"Of this 60% of patients who come to the office and perhaps have been dragging their problem for years - the expert testifies - the share of so-called 'hysterical dysphonias' is just 0.4%. In the remaining 59.6% the osteopath can help, because at the base there is precisely an incorrect functioning of the various components of the vocal tract. By repositioning them adequately, the voice heals "and the need for medicine is reduced or disappears.
There are many problems linked to the double thread with the 'uvula', from whiplash to reflux
Not only. "Sometimes - continues the osteopath - restoring the correct function of the pharyngeal box, to the great amazement of the patient it happens that other non-vocal disorders are also attenuated. This depends on the different and multiple muscle-tendon and fascial connections that connect the vocal tract to other structures of the body ". An example of a risky link is that "between thyroid cartilage and sternum: in this area there are muscles which, if in contraction, can hinder proper functioning of the diaphragm and thus trigger digestive problems, heaviness and reflux. Or the opposite happens and the stomach problems affect the voice ".
Again: "A pain in the shoulder, neck or cervical area can depend on the misalignment of the vocal structures. Conversely, even a whiplash can change the voice, since the larynx is at just the 'right' height. Another symptom the so-called lump in the throat is very frequent: it can be related to a particular posture of the larynx which, instead of going down and up as it should, stops in the lowest position ".
Precisely in the light of these 'dangerous relationships', the expert specifies, "in recent years I have collaborated with speech therapists and speech therapists. On the basis of various clinical studies conducted, it has emerged that osteopathic treatment can be a valid help in resolving these Also for next year - concludes the phoniatric osteopath - my goal for the World Voice Day is to spread the word among colleagues, also training, so that more and more operators and patients know when our work combined with that of others can make a difference. " Valentina's agenda is already full of "courses already booked even outside Italy ', and her hope is that" soon the figure of the osteopath may coexist in collaboration with the speech therapist. In Milan, in the therapy of artists, it already happens and I am proud of it ".