Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is an established method for treating many forms of voice disorders. RVT focuses on increasing forward resonance to increase quality vocal output while decreasing strain on vocal cords.
Humming is an effective technique used in RVT that focuses on forward resonance. Additionally, your speech-language pathologist may incorporate other exercises tailored specifically to meet your individual needs.
Vocal Range
Resonant voice therapy improves both the quality and power of your voice while decreasing strain, improving endurance, and decreasing strain on vocal cords. This evidence-based treatment approach uses techniques such as resonant humming and easy-onset phonation exercises to strengthen vocal quality and efficiency, making this an excellent way for professional speakers, singers, or casual communicators who experience voice fatigue or hoarseness to increase vocal power and efficiency. It may be particularly useful for professional communicators prone to vocal fatigue such as professional communicators
Your voice is composed of multiple resonating chambers in your mouth and throat that produce sound when spoken aloud. Muscle movement (adduction/abduction) determines airflow, vibration, spectral characteristics of voice production and pitch change; altering these structures by means of size/shape adjustments can alter its pitch as well. Resonant voice therapy teaches speech-language pathologists how to control them to achieve more range, power, and clarity for patients’ voices.
Your speech-language pathologist may use this approach to start you off on the right foot with gentle vocal warm-up exercises such as lip trills and siren sounds to relax neck and throat muscles. They will then encourage you to experiment with voiced and voiceless sounds at word, phrase and conversation levels until finding one that feels natural and effortless for you.
Your therapist will teach you to recognize when your voice is not functioning as it should be, so that any issues can be addressed quickly, potentially reducing future need for invasive procedures as well as further damage to sensitive larynx tissues. Resonant voice therapy has proven successful for treating many vocal disorders including muscle tension dysphonia and aphonia as well as improving voice quality while relieving strain on vocal folds as well as managing respiratory issues like coughing and wheezing.
Vocal Folds
The vocal folds are two muscle bands within the larynx that vibrate to produce sound, which is then channeled by voice tract and vocal cords into speech or singing. They control airflow and vibration which impact tone quality and pitch which ultimately determines vocal health and functionality for an individual.
When vocal folds aren’t properly used, strain can develop which results in hoarseness and poor quality of voice. Resonant voice therapy can provide relief from strain while supporting healing of vocal folds to increase strength and clarity of the voice.
Specifically, this technique works by shifting the power of one’s voice toward the front of one’s face when speaking – thus relieving strain on vocal folds. Furthermore, forward resonance encourages loud and effortless speech production.
This approach may be combined with other therapies to form an all-inclusive treatment plan. Resonant voice therapy can be utilized to address muscle tension dysphonia associated with vocal nodules and polyps. Vocal hygiene education also forms part of this treatment model in order to ensure a strong voice is achieved.
Resonant voice therapy can benefit patients of all ages and genders, but is particularly effective for older adults suffering from conditions like muscle tension dysphonia, vocal fold paralysis or paresis, as well as Parkinson’s disease and Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST). Resonant voice therapy also serves to complement other treatments like LSVT LOUD for Parkinson’s disease as well as Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST), for people who struggle with swallowing difficulties or risk of aspiration (including post-stroke).
Breathing
Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is an evidence-based treatment for individuals suffering from vocal cord nodules. Designed to promote a healthy, balanced, and powerful voice, RVT involves teaching patients how to feel vibrations in front of their face including the anterior alveolar ridge, nose, teeth, lips, and facial bones before teaching easy phonations that differentiate voiced from voiceless sounds – practicing with words, phrases and sentences while practicing negative practice techniques that alert patients when their disordered voice reemerges.
24 full-time elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers participated in a research study utilizing RVT for voice symptoms. After RVT therapy was provided to them, voice quality improved as measured by auditory perceptual judgment, videostroboscopic examination, acoustic measurements, phonation threshold pressure measurements as well as severity measures such as roughness strain monotone as well as glottal fringing resonance hard attack were all reduced substantially.
Researchers used RTSS-Voice (an expert consensus of categories of measurable and distinct voice therapy ingredients) and the Delphi process to identify unique voice treatment ingredients responsible for observed improvements. Ten expert voice-specialized speech-language pathologists, five clinical researchers, and five frontline clinicians treating numerous voice disorders were chosen as experts; experts were selected based on expertise with specific voice disorders, therapeutic approaches, or clinical caseloads.
Every round of the Delphi process included a written questionnaire, blinded rater list, facilitator, external readers for feedback on facilitation method to reduce facilitator bias and participants who rated elements of treatment from one to five and frequency of implementation in practice; all ratings and comments collected during each round were then analyzed to develop ingredients and targets of treatment.
Diaphragm
The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle located near the lungs and heart, serving as the primary muscle used in breathing. When inhaling, its dome-shape contracts and flattens to create a vacuum that draws air into your lungs before relaxing back to its normal state upon exhaling. Nonrespiratory functions of the diaphragm include placing pressure on abdominal walls to help get rid of vomit and feces more efficiently as well as increasing pressure to help stop acid reflux from happening from in your esophagus.
Diaphragm’s peripheral attachments to structures of both chest and abdomen converge at its central tendon, which forms its crest. Three large openings in the diaphragm allow certain structures to pass between chest and abdomen: these include the esophageal opening, aortic opening and inferior vena cava opening – wherein certain structures like vagus nerve (which controls much of digestive system) pass through; these openings also allow passage for main arteries that transport blood directly to heart), Aortic opening allows passage; Aortic opening allows passageway for main arteries transporting blood directly into heart from chest through inferior vena cava opening; these three major diaphragm openings allow passage between these areas allowing passage.
As your diaphragm vibrates, vibrations are felt as your voice is produced. If these vibrations are strong and production feels effortless, that indicates a high vocal quality; otherwise if weak vibrations make production challenging then voice quality could be poor.
SLPs can assist in improving vocal quality through Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT). Under this treatment approach, SLPs work closely with individuals to establish balanced oral-nasal resonance during easy voicing through exercises like humming. Other techniques, including Acoustic Shaping and Gentle Onset may be utilized to modify the vocal tract and modify its performance.
Tone
Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is an increasingly popular and successful treatment approach used to improve vocal quality and health, emphasizing forward resonance to create an effortless sounding voice and providing relief from muscle tension dysphonia and nodules caused by straining of vocal folds. RVT employs various exercises designed to teach patients how to create healthy and strong voices – one such practice being humming which helps establish forward resonance while decreasing vocal strain.
Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of resonant voice therapy at treating various forms of dysphonia, including muscle tension dysphonia and voice nodules. Furthermore, it improved vocal clarity and efficiency; however most studies were small-scale observational research with limited populations, making it hard to draw definitive conclusions regarding its general efficacy.
Resonant voice therapy training involves semi-occluding the vocal tract with various techniques, such as phonating into straws or tubes, to gain a better understanding of its natural resonance – something which is crucial to producing natural-sounding voices. Researchers studying school teachers with voice disorders found that Resonant Voice Therapy enhanced both quality and function of their voices after treatment using perceptual judgments, videostroboscopic examinations, acoustic measurements and aerodynamic measures taken before and after therapy sessions.
Your SLP will guide you through resonant voice therapy protocol, beginning with easy phonations and voiced/voiceless sounds and then moving onto words, phrases and sentences. Your patients can practice these exercises at home to maintain their new healthy voices; our best-selling Speech Therapy Starter Pack has plenty of evidence-based handouts and worksheets for them!
