If you are experiencing throat tightness when speaking, let me explain why this is happening
to you but more importantly what you can start doing about it right now.
You don’t want to miss this video because I am going to be very honest with you.
Hi!
I am Katarina, speech language pathologist and here on this channel, I share practical
tips about using your voice in a healthy way.
So, if this is a topic that interests you, consider subscribing to this channel and hitting
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Because I work with people who experience vocal strain, tension or even pain when talking,
I hear about throat tightness all the time.
It’s one of the most common complaints I see in people with functional vocal issues,
such as Muscle Tension Dysphonia.
Some people describe the feeling as their throat closing up, or the need to squeeze
the sound out, or their voice getting squished.
Some people even describe the feeling as being strangled.
If this is you, just write “me” in the comments below.
When I ask these people what they’ve tried to release that tension, many of them tell
me: I drink plenty of fluids and I steam every day and the tightness does not go away.
Some of them tell me that they stopped using their voice completely and went on a vocal
rest for a week.
But after a week of not talking, the tension is right back.
I also spoke to a few people who were so confused by the whole experience, that they gave up,
did not do anything and just waited for the tension to go away.
Well, not surprisingly, it did not.
That's why today I'm going to explain why you may be experiencing throat tightness and
I will give you some tips on how to start dealing with it.
And let’s be real here.
It’s not going to go away by itself.
There are two major groups of causes that can lead to throat tightness.
Group #1 Neurological problems This basically means that your throat muscles
receive abnormal signals from your brain.
There is a disconnect between your brain and the throat muscles, which are working at the
exact time when they are supposed to be relaxed.
Examples of such vocal issues are Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Paradoxical
Vocal Fold Movement or Laryngeal Dystonia.
If this is you, speak to your laryngologist about possible solutions.
I will be very transparent with you: this is not my area of expertise.
Group #2 Functional problems The second cause of throat tightness is a
functional problem, which means that the laryngeal muscles either work too much or unnecessarily.
They develop motor patterns which trigger muscle constriction automatically.
This is a learned pattern that started in the past, but now became your habitual or
normal pattern.
Maybe it all started with a common cold or flu, during which you continued to use your
voice with more force.
Or it started with a highly demanding vocal schedule that led to overworked voice, strain
and tightness that never went away.
Or it started with a lot of stress or even an emotional trauma in your life and transformed
into a voice problem with a tight throat.
You may not even be aware of when or why it started but you ended up with a voice that
triggers tension as soon as you start talking.
If this sounds like you, let me tell you what is really going on in your throat and what
to do about it.
Tension is created when there is either two much muscle action, muscle effort or muscle
work or too many muscles work at the same time, including the muscles that are not required
for a given vocal task.
Let me show you.
Make a fist but make sure that your fingers are touching your palm very lightly.
There is very little muscle effort.
Your fingers are curled gently.
When you move your wrist or your arm, there are no restrictions or tension.
Now, make a fist again but this time, squeeze your fingers as hard as you can.
I feel my nails digging into my palm.
I am using maximal muscle effort.
But what is interesting is that the muscle work is transferred to other muscles, not
just your hand.
I feel my forearm contracting, I even feel slight discomfort in my elbow.
Even my shoulder is working.
And if I try to move my wrist, it’s stuck and inflexible.
If I did this for longer than a few minutes, I bet my whole arm would hurt.
So, I am not going to do that.
This concept applies to your voice too.
If some muscles in your throat or close to your throat work too hard, the muscle effort
is transferred to the small muscles in and around your larynx and it shows as a voice
problem or a feeling of tightness.
Or there are too many muscles working if they don’t need to and the system gets overworked
and strained.
Why does this matter?
Hopefully, now you can see why hydration by itself is not the answer, why vocal rest will
not help at all or why waiting will not bring any release.
The only solution is to re-learn how to use your voice in a more efficient way that does
not invite tension.
Basically, you want to develop new motor patterns that will work without too much muscle effort
or without engaging too many muscles unnecessarily.
Of course, this is not an easy and quick fix.
It requires commitment on your side.
But let me give you quick tips on how to start.
If you are dealing with too much muscle work, then focus on monitoring muscle effort.
I like to use scales from 1 to 10.
For example, when you do a simple vocal task, always ask yourself: on a scale from 1 to
10, how much muscle effort am I using?
What would happen if I used less or more effort?
How would it feel?
What number do I need to use to feel less tension?
In our group coaching program, my clients also work on isolating the function of different
vocal structures and learn how to use them independently of each other.
For example, we work on breathing without creating tension in the throat at the level
of the vocal folds, or we make sounds without creating tension in the jaw or tongue.
Or we make sounds that feel easy at the level of the vocal folds but buzzy in the face without
tension in the neck muscles.
Or we produce resonant sounds while articulating words without tongue tension.
These are just a few examples of exercises that lead to release of throat tightness when
speaking.
So if you are dealing with throat tightness when speaking, make sure that you are focusing
on changing the muscle effort during your vocal exercises as well as isolating the movements
of different vocal structures so that they can work independently of each other.
If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking, and you are ready
to work with me towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal
Freedom System coaching program.
Check out the links in the description below this video.
I also 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.
If you found this video helpful, click the like button and share it with your friends.
Check out my other videos on the topic of vocal strain right here below.
I hope to see you there.
Bye.