Acercamiento a la voz humana, su fisiología y rehabilitación

Abstract

The present study focuses on an innovative approach to the human voice, its physiology and rehabilitation. We present a single case study of a 29-year-old woman with a diagnosis of dysphonia, who worked as a music teacher in an elementary school. The patient had a cyst on her right vocal cord due to voice abuse and misuse. In this article, a specific type of procedure is proposed for the rehabilitation of vocal disorders. This procedure is based on and developed by means of a holistic view of human beings for their rehabilitation. An observation protocol for the speech therapist was designed, which included a series of items related to the anatomy and physiology of the human body and their influence on phonation. Another protocol for vocal self-perception by the patient and its impact on the effectiveness of the therapy was designed. An A-B-A-B design methodology was applied and the results were fully analyzed. Two treatment phases were established: (1) posture and breathing rehabilitation therapy based on the observation protocol, and considering the patient's responses to the vocal self-perception protocol, and (2) voice acoustic rehabilitation therapy based on the patient's posture and breathing. Patient scores on the vocal self-perception evaluation were used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention.