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Massage of the voice box: Relax to get your max!

Massage of the voice box

When we want to produce sound with our voices, the air from our lungs needs to be turned into sound. This happens thanks to the vibration of our vocal chords. All of the muscles that are used to produce sound, are very sensitive to external factors.

Where does my vocal tension come from?

A high vocal load, which means a high amount of stress on these muscles, a lesser vocal hygiene, and vocal abuse or misuse, can all lead to voice problems. Small and functional tensions could also lead to an overload and to lasting tension.

When the tension is higher than the general vocal load for a long period of time, this may result in hoarseness or a lot of muscular tension around the voice box. The latter may go hand in hand with pain or the feeling something is stuck in one’s throat.

Especially when you train the voice intensively -which is the case with voice transitions- you may recognize some of these issues, or notice your voice feels less flexible.

To relieve this feeling of tension, the voice box can be massaged.

What happens during a voice box massage?

We slowly stretch the muscles of the neck, lower jaw, and the bottom of the mouth. The muscles will start to relax. This cannot replace voice feminization therapy exercises, but rather complements it. The massage of the voice box is called “manual facilitation of the larynx” in scientific literature.

Effects of the manual facilitation:

• Relaxation of the neck, larynx, bottom of the mouth, jaw muscles
• Improvement of the flexibility of the larynx
• Improvement of the vocal sound
• A larger vocal range
• Reduction of the feeling of having something stuck in one’s throat or other complaints of tension

Seeing as voice therapy for transgender women is an intensive process that requires a lot from your voice, this massage can be an interesting addition to your voice exercises. Getting a voice box massage of our voice therapist on a regular basis keeps your voice flexible and healthy!

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