What causes muscle tension dysphonia?

Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) occurs when the muscles around the voice box are too tight during speaking, such that the voice box does not work efficiently. A person may work very hard to get voice out or use too much “muscle tension,” sometimes without even noticing it.

MTD is a voice disorder related to how the voice is used. It does not occur when someone strains the voice one time. It is usually a problem occurring from a habit of straining to talk.

Your voice may sound raspy or tight. Talking may make you feel tired, or you may even feel a muscle ache in the neck due to MTD.

Who gets muscle tension dysphonia?

MTD can occur with or without a medical condition of the voice box.

If a medical voice disorder is not treated, and a person tries to force the voice out anyway, muscle tension can develop in the voice box. In other words, people compensate for a voice disorder by pushing and straining the voice.

What are the common symptoms of MTD?

• Voice that sounds rough, hoarse, gravely, raspy, or coarse
• Voice that sounds weak, breathy, or airy, or is only a whisper
• Voice that sounds strained, pressed, squeezed, tight, or tense
• Voice that suddenly cuts out, breaks off, changes pitch, or fades away
• Voice that “gives out” or becomes weaker the longer the voice is used
• Pitch that is too high or too low
• Difficulty singing notes that used to be easy
• Pain or tension in the throat when speaking or singing
• Feeling like the throat is tired when speaking or singing
• Neck that is tender or sore to the touch

How do you make your voice better?

If you have MTD, a speech pathologist can do voice therapy to help you relax the muscles of the voice box, throat, neck, and face. You can learn ways to improve the way the vocal cords work, and get back to using a normal voice.

Before you start voice therapy, you should always have a full evaluation of your voice by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor and a speech therapist.