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Effects of vocal rehabilitation on voice handicap of professional popular singers

Purpose

To verify the effect of a vocal rehabilitation program in voice handicap by a self-reported questionnaire in popular professional singers with dysphonia.

Methods

Forty-nine professional popular singers, between 18 and 45 years old, assessed by the ENT and diagnosed with behavioral dysphonia, with or without mass lesions, that were related to of vocal behavior, were submitted to vocal rehabilitation. The singers were divided into two groups: Experimental Group (EG), with 29 singers undergoing voice therapy and a Control Group (CG), with 20 singers on the clinical waiting list for vocal rehabilitation. The CG was attended after the research finished. All participants completed the Moderns Singing Handicap Index (MSHI) and self-assessed their speaking and singing voices at the first and last session of therapy (assessment and reassessment).

Results

There were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the post- therapy for all MSHI protocol scores. There were no changes in the number of singing lessons after the intervention. The EG reported perceiving improvement in the speaking and singing vocal qualities.

Conclusion

Professional popular singers who performed voice therapy had lower self-assessed of voice handicap while singing, when compared with singers with vocal complaints and without treatment.

Voice; Dysphonia; Quality of life; Evaluation studies; Music; Speech therapy; Speech; language and hearing sciences


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