Hoarseness is more than an inconvenience; it could be an indication of an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you notice changes in your voice, then it might be time to reach out to an experienced ENT for diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vocal changes vary from one person to the next. Symptoms of a hoarse voice include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, patients sometimes notice different symptoms, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sounds that come out of your mouth are due to the vocal cords (also known as vocal folds), as well as the voice box (larynx). The\u00a0larynx\u00a0is located at the top of the windpipe airway that connects the lungs and the mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vocal cords consist of two muscle bands that are located inside the larynx. These muscles open and close while you are speaking, with air that moves from the lungs to vibrate the cords. These vibrations create sound waves that you can hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the vocal cords are relaxed, they shorten and can cause a deeper sound. When the folds tighten, it increases the pitch of the sound. Hoarseness happens when the vocal cords are more relaxed or tighter than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A raspy, hoarse voice can happen for a variety of reasons. It might be a temporary condition because you overused the vocal cords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overusing your voice can cause temporary inflammation, affecting how the vocal cords produce sounds. Examples of vocal overuse include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, temporary hoarseness will go away within a few days. If you notice that the symptoms remain for weeks or months, it could indicate another health issue that is causing changes to your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Common diseases that cause a\u00a0raspy voice\u00a0include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An experienced ENT can help you identify the underlying causes of your hoarseness. If you have any of these conditions, then it\u2019s essential to talk to a specialist about treatment options to improve the sound of your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are experiencing hoarseness, then also consider lifestyle factors that could be contributing, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The best way to treat a hoarse voice is to identify the underlying cause. The treatment varies depending on the reason why your voice is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, it\u2019s important to consider whether the hoarseness is acute (short-term) or chronic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, acute vocal overuse requires resting the voice and staying well-hydrated to support larynx recovery. With proper rest and at-home treatment, you can quickly overcome hoarseness issues after singing or talking too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chronic conditions require ongoing treatments and specialized care. Immediate treatment is essential to avoid irreversible damage to the vocal cords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your doctor might recommend treatment options for the specific cause of your hoarseness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, your doctor will discuss solutions for preventing hoarseness. For example, you might work with a voice therapist, singing teacher, or speech-language pathologist to modify vocal behavior. Using a microphone might be an option to protect your voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If your symptoms last longer than two or three weeks, then it\u2019s time to talk to an ear, nose, throat doctor for a diagnosis. Other signs that you need to see an ENT for hoarseness include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you have a hoarse or injured voice, an ENT can assist with diagnosis and treatment. You can find our ENT office close to home, in the Collin County or Dallas areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collin County Ear, Nose, and Throat offers quality services from industry experts. Our nearby offices are located in Frisco and Plano, TX. Find our\u00a0online form\u00a0to schedule an appointment, or call our office at\u00a0(972) 596-4005.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hoarseness is more than an inconvenience; it could be an indication of an underlying medical condition that needs to be treated. If you notice changes in your voice, then it might be time to reach out to an experienced ENT for diagnosis and treatment. What a Hoarse Voice Sounds Like The vocal changes vary from…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2883"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2883"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2998,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2883\/revisions\/2998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collincountyent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}