Conditions We Treat

Voice and Swallowing (Throat Problems)

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Voice Problems

Does your voice sound hoarse? Do you want your voice to sound different? Do your throat muscles feel tight when you talk, breath, swallow, or sing? Do you want your voice to match your gender identity? We can help. We treat many voice conditions including:

Spasmodic dysphonia belongs to a family of neurological disorders called dystonias. A dystonia is a movement disorder that causes muscles to contract and spasm involuntarily. Spansmodic dysphonia (SD) is task-specific, meaning that the muscles spasm only when they are used for particular actions and not when they are at rest. When a person with SD attempts to speak, involuntary spasms in the tiny muscles of the larynx cause the voice to break up, or sound strained, tight, strangled, breathy, or whispery. The spasms often interrupt the sound, squeezing the voice to nothing in the middle of a sentence, or dropping it to a whisper. However, during other activities, such as breathing and swallowing, the larynx functions normally.
  • Hypophonia from Parkinson’s Disease

Swallowing Problems

Do you cough or choke when you eat or drink? Does food get stuck in your throat? Is it painful or difficult to swallow? Have you had a stroke or cancer of the head and neck that now causes you to swallow differently? We can help. We treat many swallowing conditions including:

  • Dysphagia for any reason (weakness, poor coordination/timing, anatomical changes)
  • Muscle tension dysphagia

Breathing Problems

Do your throat muscles feel tight when you talk, breath, swallow, or sing? Do you have asthma but notice your inhaler does not help? We can help. We treat many functional breathing conditions including:

Language Problems

Do you have a difficult time communicating what you want to say? Do you have trouble finding the right words? Do you have trouble with memory or cognition? We can help. We treat many language conditions including:

  • Problems with talking, finding words
  • Problems with understanding what is said
  • Memory and executive functioning

Speech Problems

Do you feel like your speech is heavy or slurred? Are your lips, tongue, or facial muscles too weak or too tight? Do you have a stutter? We can help. We treat many speech conditions including:

  • Stuttering or stammering
  • Slurred speech
  • Weakness of the mouth or face (such as that cause by Bell’s Palsy, etc.)
  • Problems with articulation
  • Pediatric feeding disorders