Spasmodic Dysfunction Definition

Today, Botox is not only used for beauty but is also used to treat a variety of problems, such as migraines, neck pain, excessive sweating, body odor, morbid obesity, carpal tunnel syndrome, stroke paralysis, incontinence and clubfoot in infants to name just a few. It has become a life savor for many people with debilitating disease or disorders. Using Botox as a medical treatment has recently hit close to home when my Mom was diagnosed two years ago with a rare vocal disorder called spasmodic dysphonia. The origin of this disorder was originally thought to be psychoneurotic, but in recent years it has become classified as a movement disorder of the larynx. Spasmodic dysphonia involves uncontrollable “spasms" of the muscles in the vocal cords that cause interruptions in speech which affect the quality of a person’s voice. In the more common type, adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD), vocal cords prematurely tighten when speaking which causes a squeaky high pitch voice. In the type of dysphonia my mom has, abductor spasmodic dysphonia (ABSD), when she talks, her vocal cords don’t close when they are supposed to which results in a breathy, whispery voice. Her voice seemed to get worse over time, it was less able to understand what she was

Adults that have this disorder are not allowed to relax their muscles after they contract. This disorder affecting men and women symptoms show when people are in their twenties.

Adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ADSD) is a voice disorder due to central motor processing abnormalities which result in decreased control of the laryngeal muscles (Blitzer, 2010). The idiopathic disorder is characterized by involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles controlling vocal fold adduction (National Spasmodic Dysphonia Association, 2012). The dysphonic characteristics presented by patients with ADSD are described as strained, strangled, and effortful due to irregular adductions of the vocal folds and the occlusion of air through the vocal tract during phonation(Blitzer,2010; Cannito, Doiuchi, Murry &Woodson, 2012). Patients with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) present with similar perceptual vocal characteristics however, treatment for the two disorders is quite different. Speech-language pathologists often have difficulty diagnosing and distinguishing between ADSD, a neurological disorder, and MTD, a functional voice disorder (Rees et al., 2007). Correct diagnosis is important and objective measures, such as spectral analysis, are more sufficient in distinguishing the two disorders(Rees et al., 2007).

The most widely available research pertains to the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment also known as LSVT LOUD. This treatment, in general is used to treat adult dysarthria. This includes not only spastic dysarthria, but also flaccid, ataxic, hyper, hypo kinetic dysarthria. The majority of research surrounding LSVT LOUD, is on Parkinson’s Disease. Gains have been shown with using this treatment with Parkinson’s (cite), and so, it has been become a generalized treatment of all dysarthria’s including both adult and childhood forms. This can be problematic when seeking out an appropriate and effective treatment

Unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) is the complete immobility of one vocal fold. According to Sapienza and Ruddy (2013), “90% of vocal fold paralysis that occurs is unilateral and caused by damage to the peripheral nervous system” (p. 189). Vocal fold paralysis is typically considered a symptom of a disease or neurologic disruption. In one study, it was found that vocal fold paralysis was caused by surgical trauma, tumors or neoplasms, unknown or idiopathic factors, trauma, central nervous system dysfunction, radiation, inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other causes (Chen, Jen, Wang, Lee, & Lin, 2007). Symptoms of unilateral vocal fold paralysis may include: aphonia, abnormal vocal quality (breathy, hoarse, and/or strained), and dysphagia. Onset of UVFP may be life altering as the individual has to find compensatory strategies for voicing or even alternative methods of communication. The individual is also left susceptible to aspiration due to the lack of airway protection. These factors make it critical to diagnose the impairment so as to provide the appropriate treatment.

Participant 1 (P1) was a male of the age seven diagnosed with spastic quadriparesis due to Cerebral Palsy and secondary seizure disorder. His parent reported speech and voice concerns describing a breathy, quiet voice with weak breath support. His observed speech and voice signs were reduced loudness, monotone, intermittent hypernasality, intermittent

When a person works as a speech therapist, there are multiple cases where you will deal with clients whose dysfluencies are caused by a deficiency in the nervous system. The nervous system is the control center of the body. Any damage to this system can cause long lasting affects to all the other systems. A person may have a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or a tumor that may result in dysfluency. Neurogenic stuttering is a type of dysfluency that can arise due to damage to the nervous system. Stuttering is involuntary interrupted speech. There are different types of stuttering-like disfluencies such as part-word repetition, single syllable word repetitions, and dysrhythmic phonations. The other dysfluencies people may have due to neurological damage is interjections polysyllabic word repetitions, phrase repetitions, and revisions. People are affected by these types of stuttering across the lifespan.

The purpose of this article was to evaluate the long-term dose stability of treatment in patients with Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia (ADSD) using botulinum toxin (BTX) injections. Adductor Spasmodic dysphonia is the most common type of Spasmodic Dysphonia (SD). Spasmodic Dysphonia is an acquired neurological condition in which there are involuntary muscle spasms of the laryngeal musculature. In Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, there is increased activity that occurs of the vocal fold adductors. Some speech qualities may include breaks in phonation and pitch as well as strained speech.

Spastic dysarthria includes a limited range of motion for the lips and tongue due to reduced muscle capacity. Sounds are more neutral, voice is harsher, and drooling is common. Speech is slow, forced, and blended. Bursts of acoustic energy may also occur during speech production.

Flaccid dysarthria results from damage to the lower motor neurons (LMN) or the peripheral nervous system (Hageman, 1997). The characteristics of flaccid dysarthria generally reflect damage to cranial nerves with motor speech functions (e.g., cranial nerves IX, X, XI and XII) (Seikel, King & Drumright, 2010). Lower motor neurons connect the central nervous system to the muscle fibers; from the brainstem to the cranial nerves with motor function, or from the anterior horns of grey matter to the spinal nerves (Murdoch, 1998). If there are lesions to spinal nerves and the cranial nerves with motor speech functions, it is indicative of a lower motor neuron lesion and flaccid dysarthria. Damage to lower motor neurons that supply the speech

Around 50% of patients will suffer from dysphasia, in which the symptoms fade completely after only a few days. However, a patient's prognosis will greatly depend on multiple factors, such as the location and extent of the underlying damage, the patient's age, general health, mental health, support and motivation. Through a speech pathologist

Dystonic tremor is a type of tremor that can affect any individual under any age. This disease takes place in conjunction with a neurological disorder called dystonia. When incorrect message from the brain affects some muscles, it results in abnormal movements of body parts. Its amplitude and frequency are unknown.

Parkinson’s disease is one of the syndromes studied in functional neurosurgery. Parkinson’s disease has a very slow progressing rate which usually causes stiffness, slow movement, and balance and coordination impairment. This disease is diagnosed in approximately 60,000 Americans each year. Chemical imbalance likely causes Parkinson’s disease. Dystonia is a disease in which the body is affected in the way it moves. It causes your muscles to contract, which makes them move involuntarily, or get stuck in an abnormal position (Fraser). This disease can either affect the whole body or just certain parts. This can cause the body to be in pain. The well known disorder of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is diagnosed in two to three percent of the world’s population. OCD is defined by consistent and persistent thoughts. In regular thought and behavior, people’s brains know when to avoid a behavior and also approach. Essential tremor is a functional neurosurgery disorder. Essential tremor (ET) is a slowly progressive neurological disorder whose most recognizable feature is a tremor of the arms that is apparent during voluntary movements such as eating and writing (Hanrahan). This tremor is referred as “kinetic tremor” often. The essential tremor occurs in the head, neck, jaw, voice, and many other parts of the body as

Spasmodic dysphonia is condition in which the voice does not sound normal. The voice may sound unusual, and may stop suddenly. This condition can also cause difficulty speaking. Spasmodic dysphonia is caused by involuntary movements (spasms) of certain muscles in the voice box (larynx), which keeps the vocal cords from vibrating normally. Vocal cord vibration is what produces the voice.

Spasticity is a problem that appears in the injury of your spinal cord or a part of the brain that controls your involuntary movement. It is from the stretch reflexes being extremely excited with an upper motor neuron lesion. It can interfere with you daily through daily activities, balance, and being able to function on your on. Spasticity is where certain muscles are continuously contracted. It can also cause your muscles to be stiff and tight. Spasticity may interfere with your speech, movement, and your gait. The usual treatments for spasticity are physical therapy (PT), antiseptic agents, and surgical lengthening of the affected muscles or tendons.