What causes pain in throat while singing high notes?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a singer, but in recent times, I have not been able to sing high pitch. I develop pain in my throat while singing high notes. I want to show you what happens when I sing using a sample song. Can you diagnose and give treatment after listening to my song?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I treat a lot of singers, so I totally understand what you are going through. To answer your first question, yes it is totally possible to diagnose based on an audio clip of you singing (attachment removed to protect patient identity), though a better method would be a laryngoscopy of your voice box.

However, I am guessing there are breaks or voice gaps in certain parts when you hit a high note. This is common among male singers. The issue here is that your voice box has 2 vocal cords that vibrate when you sing. The slightest inflammation or irregularity in these vocal cords can produce noticeable changes in a singers voice. The problem here is that the slightest change in the singing voice makes the singer more anxious and he tends to practice harder. Doctors typically prescribe steroids, but that will not help unless you give your voice a rest. Give the vocal cords enough time to heal. There is a lot more I would like to say, but I will try and summarize my advice for you.

1. Total voice rest for 7 days. No speaking, no whispering.

2. Daily concentrated salt water gargles.

3. Steroids (Betnesol) 0.5 mg 2 times a day for 5 days.

4. Pantoprazole 40 every morning for 7 days.

5. After 7 days, try afresh and record the audio, I would love to hear the before and after.

I hope you become a star singer one day.