A 49-year-old patient is referred to a phoniatrician for evaluation and osteopathic treatment for mixed-type spasmodic dysphonia. The disorder has been present for approximately 4 years.
The patient showed up for the visit with a broken voice, sometimes strident, and having had his last Botox operation 3 months earlier, with a frequency of operations every 6-8 months, reporting that he felt a lot of fatigue and constriction when speaking.
At the specific osteopathic evaluation of the affected area, severe cervical rigidity was found in the C0-C1 section and in the C3-C5 section with exacerbation of intense pain upon palpation of the joint facets and variation in the vocal sound upon stimulation of the same. The same somatic segments presented dysfunctions on instrumental examinations.
Larynx was functionally presented with collapsing of the thyroid space, posterior position and limitation in flexion. The functional chain of the posterior and lateral cervical spine is very rigid, and the constrictor of the middle pharynx bilaterally.
Fair compliance of the floor of mouth muscles.
A treatment plan was applied consisting of HVLA techniques, myofascial release, cranial techniques, laryngeal correction in neutral and in phonatory request and the application of Kinesio Tape in constrictor release, in laryngeal advancement, on anterior and middle scalenes and in functional cervical relief.
With osteopathic treatment we are managing to increase the time between one Botox procedure and the next, prolonging its peak effect and reducing fatigue.
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts