Speech and voice problems may be one of the daily challenges you face with multiple sclerosis. If any of the five systems necessary to speech and voice production are hindered due to lesions on your brain then you could experience:
Harsh voice Scratchy voice Slurred speech Tremor in pitch Variable breath control
In Living With Multiple Sclerosis, Catanzaro and Kraft give a comprehensive explanation of speech and voice issues:
"The most common cause of speech problems in MS is due to an impairment in the muscles that are needed for speaking. Speech may become slurred and difficult to understand. Speech therapists use a variety of techniques that may improve communication, although the problem cannot be cured.
Another problem arises when chest muscles are weak and the person's voice is soft because he cannot get enough air behind it. Personal amplifier systems are inexpensive and work well to overcome this problem"
Some of the treatments that a speech/language pathologist or an ENT (ear, nose, and throat physician) might recommend are:
Monitoring your own voice with a recorder and practicing vocalization Exercising the body parts necessary to speak, including lips, tongue, soft palate, vocal chords, and diaphragm Using a communication device (e.g., personal amplifier)
Updated: February 11, 2004
7 comments:
Lisa, thanks for the info !!!!!!! Hugs to you Lisa
I actually knew about the speech problems being associated with MS, but I didn't know why it was caused. I always learn so much reading your journal!! And the more I learn, the more I see just exactly what a battle you have every day. You're even more amazing to me as my eyes are opened by the new information, and knowing just exactly what you are up against!!
xoxo, Heather
h
YOu know Poeple have hard tim eundertsanding me but its us hillybilly slang. It is frustrating becuase I stutter a lot when I get tired or stressed to have to to deal with that so I undertand a little how you feel
Thanks so much for this valuable information ,as ever good entry ,.,.,Jan xx http://journals.aol.co.uk/jeadie05/Serendipity/
Speech problems must be awful. Same as people who have strokes, it's really hard not to be able to speak clearly. Jeannette xx
Sorry i have not called by for a while, i hope you are doing ok. love and hugs
katie
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