Hundreds of injured singers profiled
Analysis identifies most common conditions and treatments

Date:
May 4, 2022
Source:
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Summary:
An analysis of more than 400 singers who sought treatment for
vocal injuries provides a wealth of data on a topic that's often
considered taboo to discuss in the singing community.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An analysis of more than 400 singers who sought treatment at UT
Southwestern Medical Center for vocal injuries provides a wealth of
data on a topic that's often considered taboo to discuss in the singing community.


==========================================================================
The findings, published in The Laryngoscope, show that only 1 in 7
subsequently needed surgery for injuries that weren't resolved with
vocal therapy and other conservative management. Researchers determined
which vocal injuries were most common by sex, age, training, and professional/amateur status, and what kinds of treatment these patients subsequently required.

"When you're an injured singer, especially when you depend on singing
for your livelihood, the stakes are really high. Injured singers are
often reluctant to talk about their injury or ask questions among their colleagues or community because injuries carry a stigma," said study
leader Lesley Childs, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology --
Head and Neck Surgery and Medical Director of the Voice Center at UT Southwestern. "There are many opportunities for misinformation, so we
wanted to gather data to help dispel myths and counsel our patients on
the facts." Toward that end, Dr. Childs and her colleagues, including
UTSW resident physician Ashwin Rao, M.D., and Ted Mau, M.D., Ph.D.,
Professor of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery, reviewed charts
of all singers who sought care for vocal injuries at the Voice Center
between 2011 and 2019. A total of 438 patients between ages 8 and 78
who had never undergone prior surgery to correct vocal fold injuries
were seen during this period.

Searching for patterns, the researchers discovered that the most prevalent injury by far was nodules, a callous-like injury that affected 58% of
these singers, followed by blister-like injuries called pseudocysts,
as well as polyps, cysts, and vocal fold hemorrhages. Although female
singers were more likely to develop nodules and pseudocysts, polyps and
cysts were more common in male singers. Polyps developed more frequently
with age in female patients, while young male singers were more likely
to develop nodules.

Dr. Childs and her colleagues found that professional status and a lack
of prior vocal training were the greatest risk factors. Professional
singers who had not taken voice lessons were eight times more likely to
need surgery than amateur singers with prior voice lessons.

Although the increased risk among professional singers is probably due to
the greater amount of singing time overall, the link with vocal training
is unclear, Dr. Childs said. Training may increase vocal proficiency,
and a history of voice lessons might make it easier for the injured to
follow vocal therapy protocols.

Regardless, she added, the data can help physicians reassure patients
who seek help at the Voice Center.

"For amateur and professional singers alike, vocal injuries can be
devastating, but our study suggests that these injuries need not be career-ending," Dr.

Childs said. "With conservative management, most singers can get back
on track." UT Southwestern's Voice Center, one of the largest in the
South, employs a collaborative, multidisciplinary team of passionate
voice care specialists to care for injured singers. Several members of
the Voice Center are singers themselves: Dr. Childs is a classically
trained soprano with experience in various professional chamber ensembles
as well as recording for Walt Disney Records, and all six of the Voice
Center's speech language pathologists are singers.

"We're very proud that we can offer this personal experience to our
patients and speak the unique language that singers use," she said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by UT_Southwestern_Medical_Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lesley F. Childs, Ashwin Rao, Ted Mau. Profile of Injured Singers:
Expectations and Insights. The Laryngoscope, 2022; DOI: 10.1002/
lary.30015 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220504151224.htm

--- up 9 weeks, 2 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)