Efficacy of Laryngeal Massage in Patients with Muscle Tension Dysphonia: Changes in Surface Electromyography (sEMG) Activity

Objectives: Laryngeal massage has been used as a major voice therapy technique in patients with muscle tension dysphonia, which results in voice changes due to excessive tension in the intrinsic or extrinsic laryngeal muscles. This study aims to explore the effect of laryngeal massage by changing the activity potentials of paralaryngeal muscles through laryngeal massage. Methods: A total of 15 adults diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia participated in this study. Laryngeal massage was performed for 15-20 minutes. To measure surface electromyography (sEMG), the surface electrodes were attached to the suprahyoid muscle and sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscles of each patient and the sEMG activity of the paralaryngeal muscles was measured before and after laryngeal massage. In addition, a patient-based pain scale was also completed by laryngeal palpation before and after laryngeal massage. Results: Significantly lower sEMG amplitudes yielded in the suprahyoid muscle and SCM muscles during sustained /a/ vowel phonation and connected speech following laryngeal massage. Moreover, pain scores also reduced after laryngeal massage in both the suprahyoid and sternocleidomastoid muscles. Conclusion: Laryngeal massage was immediately beneficial in reducing tension and pain in the paralaryngeal muscles for muscle tension dysphonia. In addition, sEMG proved the effect of laryngeal massage alone without other interventions as an objective indicator. Hence, it can be useful to measure the therapeutic effect of laryngeal massage for muscle tension dysphonia with laryngeal palpation in the clinical field.