The Brain and Spine Institute is made up of experts in the field of neuroscience in order to bring patients the best healthcare in East Tennessee for a full range of neurological diseases and disorders.
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Centers of Excellence
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We provide a comprehensive continuum of cancer services, including prevention, outreach, diagnostic, treatment and support services delivered by our highly skilled staff with compassion and care.
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The Center for Women & Children's Health is a hub for supporting women's and children's individual healthcare needs. The center provides support, research and unmatched patient-centered care.
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Emergency and Trauma Services is the only Level I Trauma Center in the area and serves as the tertiary referral center for medical care in East Tennessee, serving Knox County and 21 surrounding counties.
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The Heart Lung Vascular Institute brings together expertise in clinical care, teaching and research. Patients receive exceptional healthcare combined with patient-centered care.
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Voice Disorders
A voice disorder is a problem with voice pitch, loudness or quality that calls attention to the voice itself rather than to what the speaker is saying. This can be caused by misuse of the voice, which can lead to problems such as vocal cord polyps or nodules. Other voice problems may have a medical or neurological basis and some voice problems primarily affect breathing.
Symptoms of Voice Disorders
The following are some voice disorder symptoms.
- Hoarseness
- Breathiness
- Shortness of breath while speaking
- Reduced range or quality of singing voice
- Voice cutting off for no reason
- Vocal strain
- Change in pitch of voice
- Inability to vary loudness or softness
- Vocal tremor
- Throat pain
- Chronic throat clearing or coughing
- Recurring loss of voice
- Throat “close off”
Can Speech Therapy Help?
Many voice disorders improve significantly with therapy from a speech-language pathologist. Other voice problems may require a combination of medical or surgical treatment and voice therapy. When misuse of the voice has caused a condition requiring surgery, therapy with a speech-language pathologist often is helpful to avoid a recurrence of the problem.
Laryngeal Videostroboscopy
Speech-language pathologists at UT Medical Center have state-of-the-art laryngeal videostroboscopy equipment, which allows the clinician and the patient to view the vocal cords during voice production. This biofeedback promotes understanding of how voice is produced and facilitates change in vocal behaviors.
What Should I Do If I Think I have a Voice Disorder?
Discuss your concerns with your doctor. Your primary care physician may suggest an evaluation by an ear, nose and throat doctor to rule out any pathology. A physician’s referral from either your primary care doctor or a specialist is necessary for an evaluation and treatment by a speech-language pathologist.
Talk to your doctor if you have any of the above-mentioned voice disorder symptoms.
For more information, call 865.305.9151. You must have a physician's referral for these services.
Online Tools: Make an Appointment Pay your Bill For appointments by phone, call 865.305.6970
