Introduction: Sulcus Vocalis, which is usually
bilaterally symmetrical, is a furrow running parallel to the free side of vocal
folds. The cause of this disorder is not widely studied and its etiology is poorly
understood. The three main causes for sulcus vocalis that are reported in the
literature are congenital, acquired and unknown causes. When it comes to the
management of Sulcus vocalis, one of them is medical interventions (e.i.
surgery) and the other one is non-medical methods such as voice therapy, vocal
hygiene and behavior modifications. Aim:
Lax Vox is a holistic therapy approach for various functional and organic voice
disorders. As it aims to change the whole mechanism of voice, all of the vocal
pathways are used simultaneously and without force. In this study, it was aimed to determine the
efficacy of Lax Vox Voice Therapy in two patients with Sulcus Vocalis. Method: Both patients had undergone
therapy sessions for 7 weeks. With the Lax Vox Therapy tool, patients were
asked to do bubbling without phonation, sostenuto, stacato and portemento
exercises at their own pace. All of the exercises were repeated six times a day
between therapy sessions. With the help of these exercises, it was aimed to
expand the voice range in different pitches. During the therapy sessions,
patients were also expected to follow vocal hygiene recommendations.
Instrumental and perceptive evaluations were performed pre-therapy and
post-therapy. Findings: As a result
of the therapy, it was found that the vocal folds had better adduction; maximum
phonation time was increased and also, s/z ratio was significantly better. In
the first patient, Lax Vox therapy was more effective than the second patient.
Maximum phonation time in the second patient was longer after therapy, but it
was not significant as in the first patient. Although Lax Vox Voice therapy was
found effective in both patients, one of them has gained more from therapy
sessions. This can be explained by personal motivation and repeating exercises
regularly during the therapy process. Results
and discussion: As a result of this study, voice therapy was found
effective in improving voice quality in two patients with Sulcus Vocalis. Due
to its holistic approach, Lax Vox Therapy targets all of the phonatory system
and provide coordination without force. With the help of the Lax Vox Voice
therapy tool, the biomechanical and physical process of the phonatory apparatus
can change and it helps patients to produce voice with minimum effort. As there
are not enough studies, more research is needed to determine the efficacy of
Lax Vox in Sulcus Vocalis.
Keywords
Lax vox, sulcus vocalis, voice therapy, voice, vocal folds
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