How do you monitor and evaluate the progress and recovery of singers with vocal injuries?

For a professional voice user, such as a singer, speaker, or teacher, taking charge of your vocal health is a top priority. This includes building a team of professionals within your network. An excellent care team will include your private current vocal coach/ instructor, a speech-language pathologist, primary care physician, laryngologist, and perhaps a singing specialist. Knowing of a mental health coach/psychologist can also be helpful. Each member of the care team you organize should be certified and competent within her/his/their respective field. These professionals have protocols that can screen and assess your individual voice, such as the VHI-10. Ask for them when you visit with your care team.

In my experience, the most important person for regaining the voice is the vocal coach. Having taught two speech pathologists how to sing correctly, they admitted that that level of vocal use was beyond their knowledge base. Also, unless the vocal folds are totally damaged, there usually are some pitches at certain volumes that can be strengthened while the injured areas heal.

Absolutely! Many vocal injuries remain because individuals do not understand the necessity of compliance to professional advice. Vocal rest is only one small part of a rehabilitative treatment plan, and is only used as treatment for some diagnoses. A change in vocal usage is the more accurate term for treatment for most individuals. This can be difficult to implement as our voices are a significant portion of our self-identity. Yet change is required in order to heal from the effects of poor vocal use.

It becomes even more difficult because we sing and talk with the same muscles. A lot of vocal damage can come just from too much talking or yelling, of course.

I think it’s much simpler than that. If a singer simply monitors the number of times they clear their throat daily or the degree of “itchy, tickles” while talking or singing can be easily tracked without any other professionals. Much cheaper.

Again, in my experience, it’s much simpler than that. There are easy tests that the individual can do to see their development or lack of. Vocal fry’s are and easy test. And the degree of singing without discomfort is the simplest.

Drink some hot tea with honey and you'll be straight. Maybe sleepy time tea for your throat with a little fresh honey about 2 times a day for a week should have you ready for a show.

One useful diagnostic vocal tool is the siren - a NG sound up and down and in a circle - if it cracks then there could be issues - SOVT exercises also for sub glottic pressure and ease on vocal folds can help with vocal rehabilitation.