Other useful techniques include tongue, lip, and jaw exercises, and practice guides to improve pitch, articulation, and rate of speech. LSVT is an intensive, behavioral treatment given over sixteen sessions in one month. The techniques are intended to help the patient with Parkinson disease increase intelligibility and vocal loudness. We are now starting to study the effectiveness of the treatment on other neurological disorders. As a result, the vocal cords are unable to properly come together and vibrate.
Speech sounds become weak and breathy.
The condition is more common in patients with certain types of neurologic conditions, such as Parkinson's disease. Some physicians are using injections of collagen as a treatment for vocal cord weakness. Collagen is a type of protein found underneath the skin. The collagen is often obtained from cows, but may also be harvested from the patient. Prior to the actual treatment, the patient is given a test dose of the collagen to make sure there is no allergic reaction to the substance.