Will laryngeal massage fix your vocal problem?
In this video, I am talking about three groups of people who may not benefit from laryngeal
massage.
Are you one of them?
Keep on watching to find out.
Hi!
I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical
tips about using your voice in a healthy way.
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So, laryngeal massage.
In case you are wondering what it is, laryngeal massage is a hands-on technique to release
tension from the muscles around the larynx, so muscles on your neck around the voice box.
I made a video about laryngeal self-massage and it is one of my most popular videos on
this channel, so if you have not seen it yet, I will link to it at the end of this video.
In that video, I am covering all the basics of the laryngeal self-massage, who, what,
why and how.
So you can watch it after this video.
Now, let me answer the question: Why is laryngeal massage not for everyone?
Over the years while working with many different people, I noticed that there are some people
who are not benefiting from the laryngeal massage.
There are three groups of people who may not be able to reduce muscle tension after laryngeal
massage.
Let me tell you who they are and what you can do instead if you belong to one of these
three groups.
Group 1 - People who are very sensitive to touch on the neck
I know about this group of people because I used to be one of them.
That was many years ago, many years ago, when I came out of school as a fresh speech-language
pathologist and I wanted to learn how to apply laryngeal massage on my clients to help them
release tension from their voice and larynx.
I went to a workshop where I was supposed to learn this massage and manipulation technique.
When it came to the practical portion of the workshop, during which we were trying the
massage on each other, I really disliked, no - I really hated someone else touching
my neck.
I almost left the workshop, I could not tolerate it and I felt ashamed because everyone else
seemed to be doing just fine.
Well, I am not sure if all the participants were doing fine.
I was not but I stayed.
But I did not let anyone touch my neck at that time.
I was very protective of my neck, I was very sensitive.
And I felt defeated because I knew about all of the benefits of this technique.
Only later, I found out that I was not alone feeling like that.
I decided to persevere and very slowly over time, I got accustomed to touching my own
neck with gentle pressure.
Now, after many years, I am able to touch my neck even with deep touch and manipulate
all of the structures with no problem.
Since that experience I am a big believer in laryngeal self-massage or generally, self-applied
massage, myofascial release or other manual techniques that you do on your own body.
Because you are the best judge if something feels good or not.
But it took some time.
I also worked with many clients who have trouble touching their own neck.
And if this is you, it’s ok.
It is absolutely normal.
Why some people are more sensitive than others is still a mystery but here are some ideas:
some of my clients experienced a traumatic event in or around their necks, which led
to their low tolerance of touch in this area.
For example, if you had an injury or surgery in this area, if you had an adverse reaction
when being scoped during an ENT exam, or if you don’t tolerate massage in general, or
any other reason.
If you belong to this group, laryngeal massage or even self-massage can actually create more
tension in your body, which is the exact opposite of what we want to achieve.
Your muscles will contract as a protective mechanism.
If this is you, the solution is: slow and gentle.
You can get used to touch in this area if you go slowly and gently.
And when I say slowly, I mean slowly.
So, the first step would be just holding your neck without any pressure.
Keep it there for 10 seconds.
Can you then go to 20 or 30 seconds, can you increase the time to a minute or more?
Then, can you apply a slight pressure?
And you take one small step at a time.
Over time, you will be able to build tolerance of a deeper touch that will actually help
you release tension from your voice and neck.
Do you belong to this category?
Are you sensitive to touch on your neck?
Let me know in the comments below.
Group 2 - People who do not have muscle tension
This is kind of obvious that if you don’t have muscle tension, then a muscle tension
release technique will not help.
But I see many people doing laryngeal massage because they have a vocal issue.
Not all vocal problems are created equal and there are many vocal issues without muscle
tension, for example hypofunctional voice disorders, like vocal fold paralysis,
vocal fold atrophy or bowing.
Or if you had any surgery done on your neck or if you had laryngeal cancer, you need to
consult your doctor to see if laryngeal massage is something that you can benefit from.
Also, people with the diagnosis of Spasmodic Dysphonia, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Paradoxical
Vocal Fold Movement or Laryngeal Dystonia or similar vocal problems, often reach for
laryngeal massage as a magic cure.
The truth is that these vocal problems are very very complex and laryngeal massage may
help but often it does not.
So, if you belong to this group of people, what should you do?
Talk to your doctor and ask them if laryngeal massage would be of any benefit to you.
Sometimes, it is hard to know if we hold tension in our neck and laryngeal muscles, so here
is my recommendation: if your doctor clears you for a massage, try it and see for yourself.
If you experience release of tension, then you will know.
Group 3 - People with more complex vocal problems
People who have more complex vocal issues such as muscle tension dysphonia or, long
lasting hyperfunctional voice problems, may benefit from laryngeal massage, if it is one
of several techniques to release tension.
If this is you, you may find laryngeal massage beneficial for a short period of time.
But as the day goes on and you use your voice more and more, your voice may get progressively
tired or hoarse.
There may be other underlying issues that cause your problem.
It may be related to misalignment of the body, it may be caused by tension in other body
parts, or it may be caused by tight vocal fold closure, high breath pressure or something
else.
In order to achieve long-lasting muscle tension release, you need to address all of these
factors.
Laryngeal massage alone will not solve your problem.
Do you belong to this category?
If so, I made a video, in which I walk you through 7 steps that lead to a strong voice
without tension.
If you want to know what voice, body and mind considerations you need to take to truly free
your voice, click the link in the description below this video.
And if you belong to this category and are ready to find more vocal freedom, schedule
a call with me.
Check the link below this video.
And that is all for today.
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your friends.
Check out the video on how to do laryngeal self-massage.
I hope to see you soon.
Bye.