Professional Voice Services

If you’re a singer, actor or teacher, you rely on your voice to do your job. At Rush, we ensure that voice problems won't affect your livelihood.

When you’re struggling with a lost or hoarse voice, throat pain and other challenges, Rush offers comprehensive voice care services to help you heal.

Our vocal specialists in Chicago use a variety of tools to diagnose voice disorders. They offer a range of treatments to restore your voice quickly, including speech therapy, medications, Botox injections and surgery.

Voice and Vocal Cord Disorders We Treat

Voice disorders can change the sound of your voice. You may find it painful to speak, and it can be hard for others to understand you.

Your voice box, or larynx, is in your throat, and contains your vocal cords. When you speak, these cords vibrate to produce sound. If something damages your vocal cords, your voice may be hoarse or raspy, it may be difficult to speak.

Overuse, viruses and neurologic conditions can cause voice disorders.

There are many kinds of voice disorders, including:

• Chronic laryngitis: Laryngitis is inflammation of the vocal cords. Chronic laryngitis lasts more than three weeks.
• Vocal nodules: These are noncancerous growths on one or both vocal cords. They are often caused by overuse and are common among singers.
• Vocal polyps: This noncancerous growth is often caused by overuse. Polyps can appear after overusing your voice, such as screaming at a sports event or concert. Smoking can also cause vocal polyps.
• Vocal cysts: These fluid-filled sacs cause similar symptoms to nodules and polyps.
• Laryngeal papillomas: These wart-like growths appear on and around the vocal cords. Laryngeal papillomas are caused by human papilloma virus, or HPV.
• Spasmodic dysphonia: This neurologic disorder causes spasms in your vocal cords. It can make your voice sound strained or breathy.
• Vocal cord paralysis: This condition occurs when one or both muscles controlling your vocal cords are paralyzed. This can make it difficult to speak, and difficult to breathe in some cases. Injury to the neck or chest can cause this.
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux: This condition occurs when stomach acid travels upward to your voice box and throat. This can cause a hoarse voice, chronic sore throat and laryngitis.
• Reinke’s edema: This voice disorder causes your voice to sound deeper, hoarse or raspy. Reinke’s edema is swelling of your vocal cords. This condition is most common among people who smoke.
• Muscle tension dysphonia: If the muscles controlling your vocal cords are too tight, your voice may sound breathy, scratchy or raspy. Muscle tension dysphonia can develop on its own, or when another voice disorder causes you to overuse the muscles around your vocal cords to produce sound.

Voice Therapy and Vocal Cord Treatment Options

Your Rush provider will ask you about your symptoms and examine your throat. You may need imaging tests to visualize your vocal folds.

• Laryngoscopy: This test uses a small camera to inspect your mouth, throat and larynx. Your provider will pass a thin tube through your nose to your vocal cords.
• Stroboscopy: This test uses a camera and flashing light to capture how your vocal cords are moving in slow motion. Your provider will place a small camera over the back of your tongue.
• Laryngeal electromyography: This test measures the electrical signals in your vocal folds. Your provider will apply numbing cream to your neck, then insert a small needle electrode into your vocal cords.

Treatment Options for Voice Disorders at Rush

Rush offers a range of voice health services. Our laryngologist, speech-language pathologists and other specialists will work together to create a personalized treatment plan for you. Your options will depend on the cause of your voice disorder and your symptoms.

Non-surgical treatments:

• Therapy: Voice therapy services can help you keep your voice healthy. A speech-language pathologist teaches you how to use your voice most effectively and how to care for your voice.
• Medications: If acid reflux is causing your voice disorder, proton pump inhibitors and other medications can help. In some cases, your provider may prescribe steroids to reduce swelling in your vocal cords.
• Vocal fold injection: If your vocal cords are weak or paralyzed, this procedure can improve your voice quality. Your provider will numb the back of your mouth, then inject a filling material into your vocal cord. Increasing the size of your weak vocal cord makes it easier for the cords to meet and produce strong sound.
• Botulinum toxin (Botox) injections: If a neurologic condition is causing a voice disorder, Botox injections can help. Botox relaxes the muscles in the larynx, which can stop spasms and tremors and improve the sound of your voice.

Surgical treatments:

• Microlaryngoscopy: If your doctor cannot remove growths from your vocal cords with lasers, they may recommend a microlaryngoscopy. Your doctor will place a small scope through your throat and use small surgical tools to remove growths from your vocal cords. This procedure is usually performed under general anesthesia.
• Laser surgery: This minimally invasive procedure uses lasers to eliminate benign growths, like nodules and polyps, from your vocal cords. Your provider will use a spray to numb your vocal cords before the procedure. Then, they will insert a small scope through your nose to your throat. A small laser is used to remove growths from your vocal cords.
• Laryngeal framework surgery: This surgery can reposition a paralyzed vocal cord to work more effectively. You will usually be awake during this surgery so your provider can assess the sound of your voice.

Gender affirming voice care

If you are seeking gender-affirming care, Rush voice experts can help you find a voice that feels authentic to you.

Voice therapy can help you alter the pitch, intonation and other aspects to align your voice with your gender identity.

In addition to voice therapy, Rush providers offer Pitch Altering Surgical Therapy, or PAST, procedures. This surgery is performed with a scope, leaving no scarring. Your doctor will shorten the length of your vocal cords, which can raise the pitch of your voice.