Evaluation of Electrostimulation Effect in Women With Vocal Nodules

Efeitos imediatos da técnica de vibração sonorizada de língua associada à estimulação nervosa elétrica transcutânea (TENS)

“…TENS has found a place in speech therapy (30) though its application has not been fully clarified. TENS associated with tongue trills was discussed in an article that described a proposal for such therapy in a case of spastic dysphonia (25) and the immediate effect in women with vocal nodules (29) . Tongue trills, in particular, are recognized for creating greater vocal balance in phonation by increasing vibration amplitude of the mucosa of the vocal folds and balance of aerodynamic forces (6,18) and is widely used in the rehabilitation of dysphonic voices (3,18) , as well as in healthy voices (1)(2)6,9,18) .…”

“…In general, the findings obtained in the studies involving the implementation TENS suggest positive changes in the vocal quality of dysphonic patients (11,23,25,27,29) . Knowledge of the immediate effect of TENS associated with the traditional vocal techniques in individuals with normal laryngeal function is still scarce, although the use of traditional vocal techniques (e.g.…”

“…The studies developed with the aim of understanding the modification of vocal quality through the application of TENS present methodological diversity, including variations in the form of its use, location and quantity of electrodes, duration of applying the current, and in the settings of the device (23,(25)(26)(27)29) . In a study of cervical pain in women with vocal fold nodules, a decrease in muscular pain, a reduction in the degree of laryngeal lesion, and improvement in vocal quality was noted after the application of a pair of electrodes to the sternocleidomastoid muscle and another on the trapezius (10 sessions of 30 minutes) (23) .…”

“…In this study, the following sequence was employed: breathing for 5 minutes, performing a series of 3 smoothly sustained emission of vowels and sustained emission of the "z" consonant followed by another 2 minutes of silent breathing. A recent study analyzing the effect of TENS associated with tongue trills in dysphonic women with vocal nodules noted improvement in self-perception of vocal effort, in addition to improved vocal quality as identified by auditory-perceptual assessment involving speech task (29) .…”

Voice Outcome Measures for Adult Patients With Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis: A Systematic Review

“…It is important to note that this lack of consistency of timing of measurement is also found within other areas of voice therapy, including Parkinson disease-related voice disorder, 85,86 functional voice disorders, 87,88 and vocal fold nodules. 82,89,90…”