LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 15, 2016) – The new location of University of Louisville Physicians’ Louisville Center for Voice Care opens today, just ahead of World Voice Day.
World Voice Day, which is tomorrow, April 16, is an annual worldwide event devoted to celebrating the voice and highlighting its importance in everyday life. The voice is a crucial tool not only in education, but work for many people, and a functioning voice is significant to quality of life.
The Louisville Center for Voice Care, which moved from the UofL Physicians Health Care Outpatient Center downtown to 9931 Forrest Green Boulevard in eastern Jefferson County, is the only comprehensive, multidisciplinary voice disorders clinic in the region. The center’s staff has extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of complex voice and swallowing disorders in adults and children. The aim is to help people keep their voice healthy and maximize vocal performance.
“This center is the result of years of hard work and we are so excited to serve the area,” said laryngologist Dr. Swapna Chandran, who leads the center. “Voice professionals and others with voice disorders of any kind will receive state-of-the art comprehensive care at the center.”
Dr. Chandran is the only ear, nose and throat specialist in the state of Kentucky who is fellowship-trained in voice, and one of only a few in the United States. The center’s speech-language pathologist Lisanne Craven has been focusing on voice therapy for the past 20 years and has training in the most innovative and state-of-the-art methods of evaluation and treatment of voice disorders.
Many people have issues with their voice, and this can be particularly problematic for those who depend on it for their profession, such as musicians, teachers, lawyers and coaches. Some may not realize voice problems are issues that can be treated.
Symptoms of a voice disorder include:
• Discomfort or strain when talking or singing. It may require more effort to speak.
• Hoarseness, roughness, breathiness or weakness in the voice
• A weak or aging voice
• Losing the voice after hours in the classroom or courtroom
• Voice feels or sounds different
• It is difficult to be heard
• Voice varies in quality throughout the day
“If your voice feels or sounds different, or if you feel like you are straining, you should get an assessment,” said Dr. Chandran.
The center has the only high-definition videostrobe in the Louisville area, a state-of-the-art tool that allows a view of the vocal folds (cords) in motion and is considered the gold standard in evaluation of voice disorders.
Voice disorders can have several causes, including overuse or misuse of the voice, viruses or benign or cancerous lesions. Many disorders can be treated with behavioral modifications or medications. Voice therapy, which involves techniques and exercises to rebalance the systems necessary for optimal voice, is often the first-line treatment.
Sometimes surgery is required, and the center offers the latest in minimally invasive options.
For more information or to make an appointment, call 502-583-8303 or visit uoflphysicians.com.
About World Voice Day
World Voice Day was created to help the general public and professionals in many disciplines gain an understanding of the great significance of the voice and the science behind it. Both humans and animals depend heavily on vocal communication, and expressions of speech and singing are integral to every relationship and culture in the world. For more on World Voice Day, go to world-voice-day.org.
About University of Louisville Physicians
University of Louisville Physicians is the largest multispecialty physician practice in the Louisville region, with nearly 600 primary care and specialty physicians in more than 78 specialties and subspecialties. Our doctors are the professors and researchers of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, teaching tomorrow’s physicians and leading research into medical advancements. To learn more, go to uoflphysicians.com.
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