Advanced Head & Neck Rehabilitation Center of Texas
  • Start
    • Introduction video
    • Site Map
  • About
    • Meet the Staff
    • Contact
    • Informational Handouts
    • Publications
    • Links
    • Disclaimer
  • The NTLS
  • Laryngectomy
    • Stories, testimonials and clinical videos
    • Laryngectomees Making News
    • Changes following a laryngectomy >
      • Anatomical Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Functional Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Swallowing After Laryngectomy
      • Smelling after Laryngectomy
    • General Care >
      • Stoma Care
      • Using Suction
      • Saline Bullets
      • Bathing and Showering as a Laryngectomy
    • Tracheoesophageal Voice Prosthesis - TEP >
      • Cleaning Your Voice Prosthesis
      • Troubleshooting Voice Prosthesis Issues
      • Voicing Tips
      • Handsfree Speech
      • Controlling Fungal Growth
      • TEP and HME During Radiation Treatment
    • The Electrolarynx
    • HME and Tubes >
      • Using an HME Cassette
      • Cleaning Mucous From An HME
      • How To Apply An Adhesive Housing
      • Applying an OptiDerm Adhesive Housing
      • Larytube Use and Cleaning
      • Larybutton Use and Cleaning
    • Laryngectomy FAQ >
      • General Post-Op
      • Swallowing
      • HME's - Adhesives - Larybuttons
      • TEP's and voicing
    • Rescue Breathing for Laryngectomees and Neck Breathers
  • Radiation
    • Swallowing During Radiation Treatment
    • Preventing Trismus
    • Oral Care During Radiation Treatment
    • Nutrition During Radiation Treatment
    • When Nothing Tastes Right
    • TEP and HME During Radiation
    • Radiation FAQ
  • Swallowing
    • Normal Swallowing
    • Dysphagia >
      • What is Dysphagia?
      • Common Symptoms of Dysphagia
      • Evaluating Dysphagia
    • Management of Dysphagia >
      • Overview: Diet and Intake Modifications
      • Dysphagia Therapy
      • Medical Management
      • Vital-Stim Instructions
    • Trismus
    • Returning to Eating Again
    • Dietary Guidelines >
      • SOFT DIET
      • PUREED DIET
      • MOIST DIET
      • Thickening Liquids at Home
    • Therapeutic feeding
    • Swallowing exercises
  • Tracheostomy
    • Indications
    • Trach Tube Anatomy
    • Tracheostomy Tube Varieties >
      • Cuffed vs Cuffless Tubes
      • Types of Cuffs
      • Proper Cuff Inflation
      • Fenestrated vs. Non-Fenestrated Tubes
    • Being a “Neck Breather” >
      • Physiologic and Functional Changes
    • Speaking with a Tracheostomy Tube >
      • Understanding How a Voice is Produced
      • Speaking Valves and Alternatives
    • Swallowing with a Tracheostomy
    • Suction
    • Tracheostomy Care & Decannulation
    • Tracheostomy FAQ
  • Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Guide
    • Overview
    • Why Feeding Tubes are Used
    • Types of Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Methods
    • Gastrostomy Tube Troubleshooting
    • G-Tube Removal: Preparation and Post-Removal Instructions
    • Feeding Tube FAQ
  • Reflux
    • What is Reflux?
    • Evaluating Reflux
    • Reflux Management
    • Medications
    • Reflux Diet: Beneficial Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
    • Reflux Diet: So What Can I Eat?
    • Extensive Testing and Management
    • Reflux FAQ
  • Voice
    • Voice Care
    • Evaluating Voice Disorders
    • Types of Voice Disorders
    • Managing Voice Disorders
  • Chronic Cough
    • Chronic Cough Management
    • Irritable Larynx Diagnosis
    • Management of ILS
    • Vocal Hygiene
    • Cough Cessation Protocol
    • Chronic Cough FAQ

Understanding how a voice is produced

The vocal cords, of course are very important in producing a voice. They are positioned at the top of the trachea, or windpipe, and have the ability to open and close.
​

Picture
Vocal Cords are Open
Picture
Vocal Cords are Closed for Voicing
Picture
Vocal Cords are Open
_When we breathe, the vocal cords are open, but they come together in order to make a voice or phonate. The vocal cords coming together, however, will not result in a voice. In fact, the vocal cords do not vibrate independently. In order to produce a voice, the vocal cords must come together, while simultaneously, air from the lungs is exhaled through them in a sufficient manner. The flow of air through the closed vocal cords causes vibrations…the sound we hear as a voice!

Consider how leaves rustle in the wind. Vocal cords vibrate like leaves in the wind. Without airflow or “wind,” the vocal cords are still, and no sound will be produced. In this sense, you can understand then, how we exhale the air is just as important as the vocal cords in terms of producing a voice.

Following a tracheostomy, the airflow during normal breathing is diverted through the tube, which sits below the vocal cords in the throat. As a result, air will no longer be able to flow through the vocal cords. Although the larynx (voice box) and vocal cords are not affected by the tracheostomy, the loss of airflow through the vocal cords will prevent normal voice/speech production. There are, however, ways to restore speech in a tracheostomy patient. Your doctor/SLP staff will determine the most appropriate method for you.

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  • Start
    • Introduction video
    • Site Map
  • About
    • Meet the Staff
    • Contact
    • Informational Handouts
    • Publications
    • Links
    • Disclaimer
  • The NTLS
  • Laryngectomy
    • Stories, testimonials and clinical videos
    • Laryngectomees Making News
    • Changes following a laryngectomy >
      • Anatomical Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Functional Changes After Laryngectomy
      • Swallowing After Laryngectomy
      • Smelling after Laryngectomy
    • General Care >
      • Stoma Care
      • Using Suction
      • Saline Bullets
      • Bathing and Showering as a Laryngectomy
    • Tracheoesophageal Voice Prosthesis - TEP >
      • Cleaning Your Voice Prosthesis
      • Troubleshooting Voice Prosthesis Issues
      • Voicing Tips
      • Handsfree Speech
      • Controlling Fungal Growth
      • TEP and HME During Radiation Treatment
    • The Electrolarynx
    • HME and Tubes >
      • Using an HME Cassette
      • Cleaning Mucous From An HME
      • How To Apply An Adhesive Housing
      • Applying an OptiDerm Adhesive Housing
      • Larytube Use and Cleaning
      • Larybutton Use and Cleaning
    • Laryngectomy FAQ >
      • General Post-Op
      • Swallowing
      • HME's - Adhesives - Larybuttons
      • TEP's and voicing
    • Rescue Breathing for Laryngectomees and Neck Breathers
  • Radiation
    • Swallowing During Radiation Treatment
    • Preventing Trismus
    • Oral Care During Radiation Treatment
    • Nutrition During Radiation Treatment
    • When Nothing Tastes Right
    • TEP and HME During Radiation
    • Radiation FAQ
  • Swallowing
    • Normal Swallowing
    • Dysphagia >
      • What is Dysphagia?
      • Common Symptoms of Dysphagia
      • Evaluating Dysphagia
    • Management of Dysphagia >
      • Overview: Diet and Intake Modifications
      • Dysphagia Therapy
      • Medical Management
      • Vital-Stim Instructions
    • Trismus
    • Returning to Eating Again
    • Dietary Guidelines >
      • SOFT DIET
      • PUREED DIET
      • MOIST DIET
      • Thickening Liquids at Home
    • Therapeutic feeding
    • Swallowing exercises
  • Tracheostomy
    • Indications
    • Trach Tube Anatomy
    • Tracheostomy Tube Varieties >
      • Cuffed vs Cuffless Tubes
      • Types of Cuffs
      • Proper Cuff Inflation
      • Fenestrated vs. Non-Fenestrated Tubes
    • Being a “Neck Breather” >
      • Physiologic and Functional Changes
    • Speaking with a Tracheostomy Tube >
      • Understanding How a Voice is Produced
      • Speaking Valves and Alternatives
    • Swallowing with a Tracheostomy
    • Suction
    • Tracheostomy Care & Decannulation
    • Tracheostomy FAQ
  • Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Guide
    • Overview
    • Why Feeding Tubes are Used
    • Types of Feeding Tubes
    • Feeding Tube Methods
    • Gastrostomy Tube Troubleshooting
    • G-Tube Removal: Preparation and Post-Removal Instructions
    • Feeding Tube FAQ
  • Reflux
    • What is Reflux?
    • Evaluating Reflux
    • Reflux Management
    • Medications
    • Reflux Diet: Beneficial Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
    • Reflux Diet: So What Can I Eat?
    • Extensive Testing and Management
    • Reflux FAQ
  • Voice
    • Voice Care
    • Evaluating Voice Disorders
    • Types of Voice Disorders
    • Managing Voice Disorders
  • Chronic Cough
    • Chronic Cough Management
    • Irritable Larynx Diagnosis
    • Management of ILS
    • Vocal Hygiene
    • Cough Cessation Protocol
    • Chronic Cough FAQ