Effect of different types of oscillatory semi-occluded voice exercises on aerodynamic, acoustic, electroglottographic and nasometric parameters

The aim of this study was to objectively and subjectively examine the changes in vocal parameters caused by the vocal loading task and the effects of 3 different therapeutic vocal exercises on the voice after vocal loading. The sample group of the study consisted of 30 normophonic women. Participants were selected according to specific inclusion criteria and various acoustic, electroglottographic and perceptual measurements were performed. The procedures applied in the study consisted of a 30-minute vocal loading task followed by 3 different therapeutic vocal exercises based on the SOVTE (task-1), VOHFO with Acapella Duet (Smith Medical, US) (task-2), and SONTE (task-3) developed by Konrot et al. (2022). The order of the exercises was determined by randomization. Each exercise was performed for 10 minutes and acoustic and electroglottographic measurements were repeated during the exercise. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using ANOVA for normally distributed data and Friedman test for non-normally distributed data. It was observed that a 30-minute vocal loading task was induced in line with perceptual vocal effort, acoustic, nasometric and electroglottographic findings. In other words, a 30-minute high-volume phonation task for vocal loading caused a difference in the perceptual and objective parameters of the voice. When the restoration strategies used are examined, it is thought that only 10 minutes of SONTE and VOHFO can stabilize the negative effects of vocal loading. This is one of the first studies to examine the effects of exercises such as SONTE and VOHFO at these durations.