Vocal fatigue in professors at the beginning and end of the school year.

Gabrieli Cristina Santos Cercal,Jaqueline Mendes Mendez Novis,Ana Paula Dassie Leite,Vanessa Veis Ribeiro,Antônio Leonardo De Paula

doi:10.1590/2317-1782/20192018233

Gabrieli Cristina Santos Cercal, Jaqueline Mendes Mendez Novis + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/20192018233

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Abstract

To characterize and to compare the perception of vocal fatigue in professors at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Observational, analytical, prospective cohort study was carried out. A total of 115 professors participated with a mean age of 40 years old, 71 women and 44 men, employees of 28 higher education institutions in the south and southeast regions of Brazil. All answered to the Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) at the beginning (February or March) and at the end (October or November) of the Brazilian school year. The VFI results for both assessed moments were statistically compared (p<0.05). The professors' mean scores obtained in the factors of tiredness of voice and avoidance of voice use (p<0.001) and improvement of symptoms with rest (p=0.001) increased at the end of the school year. Professors reported higher perception of vocal fatigue at the end of the school year, which influenced the avoidance of voice use and improvement of symptoms with the rest.

Highlights

Vocal fatigue (VF) is a potentially debilitating and frequently puzzling symptom in vocal clinic, it is a complex phenomena(1)
There is a consensus that fatigue occurs when the oxygen supply to the muscle and brain is inadequate for the energy demands of active tissues during a certain task performance
Regarding VF, neuromuscular inefficiency could involve the recruitment of more muscles than needed for task performance or “incorrect pattern” of muscle activation, considering that both will lead to greater energy demands

Summary

Introduction

Vocal fatigue (VF) is a potentially debilitating and frequently puzzling symptom in vocal clinic, it is a complex phenomena(1). The concept of fatigue comes from the physiology of exercise. In this field, there is a consensus that fatigue occurs when the oxygen supply to the muscle and brain is inadequate for the energy demands of active tissues during a certain task performance. Regarding VF, neuromuscular inefficiency could involve the recruitment of more muscles than needed for task performance or “incorrect pattern” of muscle activation, considering that both will lead to greater energy demands. The inadequate cardiovascular recovery is related to the time course that physiological functions return to the baseline homeostatic state after vocal use(3), which could be affected by lack of training, as well as the possibility of a genetic disposition that could cause low efficiency of laryngeal repairing mechanism(4,5)

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