Acoustic Effects of Vocal Warm-Up: A 7-Week Longitudinal Case Study.
Adrián Castillo-Allendes, Lady Catherine Cantor-Cutiva, Eric J Hunter
PMID 34844825WHAT IT FOUND
A single occupational voice user showed improved acoustic voice measures after each water resistance therapy session.
Changes in sustained vowel measures were consistent, but running speech measures varied. This case report cannot prove the exercises work for other patients.
Key findings
01Sustained vowel measures (jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonics ratio, and harmonics-to-noise ratio) showed statistically significant changes after each water resistance therapy session.
02Running speech measures showed mixed results, with some parameters significantly changing and others only trending.
03The number of exercise repetitions per day did not significantly influence the overall effect, though trends suggested larger changes with five or six repetitions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only one participant, so results cannot be generalized to other patients. The participant was a healthy voice user with occasional complaints, not a patient undergoing therapy for a diagnosed disorder. Vocal load and daily activities were not controlled, which could influence voice measures. The study used self-recorded data, which may introduce variability in recording conditions despite the protocol.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study used commercially available, inexpensive equipment and free software.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant changes in acoustic measures as proof that water resistance therapy improves voice outcomes in patients. This is a single case report on a healthy voice user, and the changes were short-term and variable.