This may not be about what you think!
Joe Buck called Super Bowl XLVIII for Fox Sports this past weekend. What you may not know is that in February 2011 he suffered a vocal injury which could have ended his career as a sportscaster. http://goo.gl/Cxovls
Joe lost his voice secondary to a virus which attacked his recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN), the motor nerve to the voice, and was subsequently diagnosed with a paralyzed left vocal fold. It is presumed a viral neuropathy as long as all other possible diagnoses which may impact the nerve have been ruled out. They look for anything that might interfere with the course of the nerve. The RLN is a particularly long and vulnerable nerve. The left one exits the base of the skull travels down the neck in to the chest, around the aorta, and back up to the neck inserting in to the larynx, or voice box. The right was is not as long in that it only travels down behind the collar bone and then back up. These nerves are vulnerable to trauma including surgery, as well as a mass in the chest, such as lung cancer. However, in this case it was solely a virus. Even though only one of the two vocal folds may be affected, voice can be severely impaired. It is often weak, hoarse and breathy, with pitch changes, and incredibly more effortful to produce. It can take upwards of 12 months for the vocal fold to recover as it is a particularly long nerve. Treatment includes monitoring, voice therapy to maximize vocal physiology and recovery while minimizing the development of maladaptive voicing behaviors such as strain, and various procedures or surgery including vocal fold augmentation, medialization thyroplasty, and reinnervation.
And in other voice and Super Bowl related news…. how awesome was Renée Fleming’s performance of the National Anthem?! http://goo.gl/OnS2Oa
If you have hoarseness that persists beyond 2 weeks, see your physician. If vocal fold paralysis or impaired motion are observed, you are likely a candidate for voice therapy. Contact Voicetrainer LLC at info@voicetrainer.com or 202-580-6646 to schedule an appointment.
~LPV
