Just like the organs of the human body, the voice also changes with age. The lifetime prevalence of hoarseness in older adults reaches 52.4%.
Although hoarseness has a negative impact on the quality of life of older adults, nearly a quarter of this population considers it part of the normal course of aging.
Some voice changes are observed in the elderly, such as reduced volume and projection, easy fatigability, tremor, higher pitch in men, lower pitch in women, rough or breathy voice, reduced maximum phonation time, dysphagia and hoarseness in the population.
Glottic incompetence, vocal fold atrophy, vocal process prominence of the arytenoid cartilage, bowing, edema, reduced amplitude, and periodicity of mucosal waves may be observed during presbilaryngeal evaluations using videostroboscopy.
Although many treatment options exist, including medical, surgical, and voice therapy, the management of voice disorders primarily consists of one or more combinations of these and requires a multidisciplinary approach from the early stages of diagnosis through the final stages of treatment.
Osteopathic manipulation also provides its contribution to the patient with this type of
dysphonia, integrating with logopedic therapy in managing any biomechanical-functional tensions (somatic dysfunctions) which within the cranio-cervical-mandibular-laryngeal system can affect normal vocal function or its reconditioning with logopedic therapy. Through the support of dynamic ultrasound, the therapist can identify the state of the soft tissues of the system and their functional dynamics, thus verifying possibilities, limits and therapeutic strategies.
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts