In Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid", a young mermaid princess makes a deal with a sea witch. The aquatic dweller wants to live a life on land, and exchanges her voice for a pair of legs. The story demonstrates several challenges she now faces with the loss of her ability to verbally communicate.

Today's experience comes from a young man who experienced a rare case of vocal cord paralysis (VCP) after yelling as he was playing basketball. It's unsettling to lose an ability that you've used since the day you were born, especially one that is so essential to daily living and social interaction. Here's what he had to say:

"Years ago, when I was 17, I was playing basketball, and all of a sudden, my vocal cords gave out. It was a whole shock to me because I was shouting at the time. I was shouting at my teammate, and it just cut out. It wouldn't go away for a really, really, really long time.
At first, we went to the doctors. We can't figure out what's going on.
'Can you help us?'
They check it out. They look at it and they say,
'One of your vocal cords is paralyzed. We don't know how you can get it back.'
It went on for about 12 weeks. We kept on searching for answers. We kept on looking around. Just kept on waiting for it to wake up. There wasn't really any way to spark it back.
The doctors had seen cases of this where it doesn't come back, just kind of stays there and just sticks with them for years at a time.
Sharik brings up his Tuner idea and we take this for 1 or 2 times a day for three weeks. Two weeks later we come back. All of a sudden the vocal cords start working properly.
The doctors were supposed to be finding solutions to this, but they didn't have anything. And Sharik's Tuner actually worked.
After two weeks of me putting this Tuner on my throat, my voice was back and I was back to athletics. There was about a 14 week span of my voice being gone when the doctors couldn't have any solutions. I'm very grateful for Sharik and his fantastic Tuner. Now I'm out here serving my mission, and my voice could not be any more important. If I didn't have my voice right now, I would not be able to be sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
My athletics also would have had a little bit cripple effect. It really works! It really does work."

Vocal cord paralysis happens when one or both vocal cords to are no longer able to move, and it greatly affects how we are able to speak, breathe, and swallow. 

Causes of Vocal Cord Paralysis

There are plenty of ways that your vocal cords can become damaged. Most often, it results from nerve damage due to surgical procedures - particularly thyroid, chest or neck surgeries. You could also succumb to the effects of viral infections, trauma to the neck or chest, tumors pressing on the vocal cords, and neurological disorders (such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis). In rare cases, like the young man above, paralysis happens from overusing the vocal cords doing things such as yelling, speaking or singing. Sometimes, doctors aren't able to determine a cause. 

Symptoms of Vocal Cord Paralysis

What does vocal cord paralysis feel like? It can be different for each person, especially if one or both cords are affected. You might notice hoarseness, breathy voice, loss of vocal pitch, noisy breathing and choking or coughing while eating. VCP can cause shortness of breath during physical exertion, which is particularly detrimental to athletes. In the most significant cases, people have completely lost their voice (aphonia) or struggle to breathe. 

Treatments for Vocal Cord Paralysis

Treatment options for vocal cord paralysis depend on the severity and underlying cause.

Voice Therapy - conducted by a speech-language pathologist, is often the first line of treatment. It aims to strengthen the vocal cords and improve breath control.
Surgery - Options include vocal cord medialization, where the paralyzed cord is repositioned, or arytenoid adduction, which adjusts the position of the arytenoid cartilage.
Injection Laryngoplasty, where filler materials are injected to bulk up the vocal cord, can also be effective. In cases caused by underlying conditions, treating the primary issue can resolve vocal cord paralysis.
Resonance Therapy - A less invasive option, a resonance tool such as the Rezzimax Tuner Pro II is used to calm the vagus nerve, which sends signals to the muscles connected to the vocal cords. Like the young man in the video above, this therapy could restore vocality and breathing ability with regular use. Watch our Head & Neck Rezzipe to learn how to use the Tuner for vocal cord paralysis.

Outcomes of Vocal Cord Paralysis

Even with treatment, sometimes patients don't always see a full recovery. Most experience significant improvement with appropriate treatment, regaining normal or near-normal voice function. However, some may have persistent symptoms, necessitating ongoing voice therapy or additional interventions. Its best to seek treatment as soon as possible in order to ensure the best possible outcome.