Treatment Options For Vocal Cord Dysfunction

Stress Management

Because any form of excessive stress can cause the development and trigger vocal cord dysfunction, an affected individual may be advised to practice skills in coping and stress management. When an individual's body becomes overburdened by mental, emotional, or physical stress, their body inappropriately implements a mechanism to shut it down. The vocal cords close to stop air from entering into the lungs. When an individual experiences stress, the body responds with a surge of hormones that implement numerous physiological changes, including increased heart rate, elevation in blood pressure, increased temperature, and numerous others.

In addition to these changes, individuals with vocal cord dysfunction experience a spasmatic and inappropriate closing of their vocal cords. Stress management techniques can be used to minimize it as a factor for causing episodes of vocal cord dysfunction. Yoga, meditation, talk therapy, breathing exercises, and the use of certain anxiety medications has proven to help individuals who have stress-induced vocal cord dysfunction.

Psychotherapy

An individual affected by vocal cord dysfunction may need to have psychotherapy as a component of their treatment, because as discussed, stress is a common underlying factor in many cases of vocal cord dysfunction. Psychotherapy is known to help patients find healthy and effective ways to cope with stress so it does not affect their body physically. Some form of vocal cord dysfunction can be triggered by exercise and other physical activities. Performance psychotherapy has also proven to show efficacy in the treatment of vocal cord dysfunction in these individuals.

Psychotherapy is also helpful for patients who have vocal cord dysfunction because they can learn to be more aware of their everyday body posture and learn how to encourage the relaxation of their throat muscles. Psychotherapy can help patients with reducing their mental and physical sensitivities to exercise, certain temperature changes, specific odors, and other triggers of their vocal cord dysfunction. If a patient's vocal cord dysfunction is partially caused by problems with anxiety, a psychotherapist can prescribe and monitor the use of benzodiazepines.