Overview
Teachers are a population at high risk for voice disorders given their occupational demands. In a teaching career, a common debilitating symptom among all vocal symptoms experienced is - vocal fatigue, impacting teachers' occupational performance and increasing health care costs. It is therefore essential to identify potential treatment options to alleviate the symptom of vocal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to utilize a body-system level cardiovascular training protocol in comparison to traditional voice production training to alleviate the symptoms of vocal fatigue.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- Female teachers between the ages of 21-45 years
- A score of 15 on factor 1 of the VFI (tiredness and avoidance of voice use) or a score of 5 on factor 3 of the VFI (improvement of symptoms or lack thereof with rest)
- Sedentary- wherein participants will need to be completing cardiovascular exercise less than 20-30 minutes per day and less than 3 days per week
Exclusion Criteria:
- Trained athletes
- Trained singers
- Smoking in the past 6months
- Prior history of a vocal fold pathology and current vocal fold pathology