Vocal function exercises for normal voice: With and without semi-occlusion.
Maria Bane, Megan Brown, Vrushali Angadi and 3 others
PMID 29614887WHAT IT FOUND
In women with normal voice, only the traditional semi-occluded exercise posture produced a clear increase in how long they could sustain a sound after six weeks.
The reduced occlusion posture did not improve clearly, and the open vowel posture did not improve clearly.
Key findings
01The group that practised VFEs with the traditional semi-occluded posture significantly increased maximum phonation time after six weeks and at one-month follow-up.
02The group that practised VFEs with the reduced-occlusion /o/ posture did not show a significant improvement over time, although its increase after six weeks approached significance.
03The group that practised VFEs with the open /a/ posture did not significantly improve maximum phonation time, and the difference from the traditional posture had an effect size of 0.82, described as large.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study analysed 26 women aged 18 to 30 with normal voice, so it does not establish what happens in other populations or in people with voice disorders. All participants received weekly sessions, video guidance, reminders, and education alongside the exercises, so the study cannot isolate the posture from the full treatment package. Home practice compliance was self-reported and not verified. Weekly sessions were delivered by student research assistants rather than experienced speech-language pathologists. The sample was small, and the authors calculated effect sizes because of the small sample size.
Declared interests
The authors reported no declarations of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the modified /o/ posture works as well as the traditional semi-occluded posture. Only the traditional posture group showed a significant increase in maximum phonation time, and the /o/ group did not show a significant improvement over time.