Applying Pain Science to Voice Care

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists working in health care settings frequently encounter patients experiencing voice problems without clear neurological or structural pathology. Many of these patients report odynophonia, or pain when phonating. While some patients experience relief from their symptoms with voice therapy methods focused on modifying vocal behaviors, there is a subset of this clinical population for whom traditional treatment is less effective. These patients may report ongoing odynophonia even after completing a course of voice therapy. It has been theorized that some of these patients could be experiencing self-sustaining vocal pain due to neurological chronic pain pathways. While there is little research on chronic pain treatment options within the context of voice disorders, there is ample research on effective treatments for other types of chronic pain conditions. This narrative review draws information from this body of literature. Conclusions: This article outlines several basic chronic pain concepts, such as central sensitization, catastrophization, and fear of pain. It also summarizes common chronic pain treatment techniques and provides suggestions on how to apply these techniques to voice disorders. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.33085139