The thyroid is an endocrine gland located at the base of the neck, responsible for regulating energy metabolism through the distribution of T3 and T4 hormones and the production of calcitonin.
When in the presence of malignant or benign pathologies, enlargement that compresses nearby organs giving symptoms such as strangulation and dyspnoea, or when pharmacological therapy for hyperthyroidism is not sufficient for hormonal balancing, surgery is necessary.
Surgical interventions, thyroidectomies (thyroid removal), can be partial (lobectomies) or total.
In the post-surgical period (the first week) it is quite normal for there to be swelling at the surgery site.
It should be known that after the total operation it is necessary to take thyroid hormones for life, while for partial operations the hormone therapy is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Following the operation, however, unwanted consequences may occur such as hypocalcemia and impaired function of the parathyroids, dysphonia.
The dysphonia that appears after thyroidectomy operations is related to the fact that the laryngeal innervation of the applicant is in contact with the thyroid and could be subjected to signal alterations due to its sensitivity to trauma and inflammation. Healing in these cases occurs within a few weeks.
Let's remember that the larynx is a viscera and like all viscera it reacts to pain with stupor!
In the most serious cases, paralysis of the nerve or actual damage to the nerve occurs, in these cases the dysphonia persists and it is necessary to follow a speech therapy program aimed at recovery and/or the acquisition of new strategies.
Fortunately, according to literature, to date, also thanks to new intraoperative monitoring techniques, only 3-5% of thyroidectomy patients suffer from voice problems.
Osteopathic manipulations and specifically laryngeal ones are an excellent ally of the speech therapist as they are aimed at balancing the state of tissues and structures through the treatment of somatic dysfunctions.
Valentina Carlile - Osteopath expert in Osteopathy applied to voice and speech disorders since 2002. For information and reservations visit the page Contacts