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Vocal cords are important anatomical structures for humans that are responsible for functions such as voice and protecting the lungs and bronchi from water, food or other foreign objects entering them. There are ligaments in the middle part of the pharynx on the left and right sides, stretched in the center.

Anatomical features

• The true vocal cords are two symmetrical folds of the laryngeal mucosa containing the vocal muscle and ligament. They have an individual structure that differs from other muscles;
• false vocal cords are also called vestibular folds, as they are located in this area. They cover the submucosal tissue and muscle bundle. They take some part in closing and opening the glottis. But their true functions are manifested only during guttural singing and during the development of a pseudoligamentous voice.

Mystery of the Voice

The larynx, and accordingly the vocal folds, are organs and anatomical structures that depend on the level of hormones. Hence the difference in voice between men and women. In childhood, the voices of girls and boys sound approximately the same, but with the advent of adolescence, the voice mutates, this feature is associated with changes in hormonal levels. Under the influence of male hormones, the larynx expands and lengthens, and the ligaments become denser. Due to such changes, the voice becomes rougher and lower. After the onset of adolescence in girls, the larynx undergoes very minor changes, due to which the voice remains high and ringing.

In some cases, there are atypical voices for men or women. Such phenomenal exceptions occur due to a genetic mutation or as a consequence of hormone imbalance.

With the advent of old age, changes in the voice are also noted, it becomes rattling and weak, this all happens due to the fact that the ligaments cease to close completely, as they become thinner and weaker. The deterioration of their function is also associated with insufficient production of hormones, which are practically not produced after the onset of aging.

• hypothermia;
• professions that require constant speech (teachers, actors, etc.);
• diseases of the larynx, the treatment of which was not carried out in a timely manner.

Interesting fact! Speakers who give a speech continuously for 2-3 hours must rest their vocal cords for the next 8-9 hours, this is the amount of time it takes for them to recover, otherwise they may experience hoarseness or hoarseness.

Diseases

Unfortunately, like any other organ, the vocal cords are susceptible to various pathologies under the influence of various reasons. Pathologies can be of a different nature; for some, simple manipulations and rest of the voice are enough to treat; for other diseases, surgical intervention and long-term rehabilitation are required.

• granuloma is a benign formation that can occur as a result of injury
  larynx or with systematic irritation of the ligaments. Manifestations of granuloma include hoarseness of the voice, a feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the larynx and a desire to cough it up. Also granuloma, a formation that can cause pain as a result of its constant irritation when talking. Pain can occur not only in the larynx, but also radiate to the ear on the affected side. Externally, the granuloma is a pale pink formation; it can be located either on a wide or thin base. The formation tends to grow as long as it is subject to irritation, and in the case of the vocal cords, such an effect is irreversible. Regarding treatment, surgical intervention is carried out only after all conservative methods have proven ineffective. For conservative treatment, it is important to eliminate the cause of the irritating factor and create complete vocal rest. If the granuloma is not irritated over time, it will resolve itself;
• Vocal cord nodules are benign growths that arise as a result of constant overload of the cords. Most often they form in middle-aged women, as well as in people whose profession is related to singing or oratory. After frequent overloads, compactions form on the folds that resemble calluses; as the load continues, they continue to increase in size. The pathology has no special symptoms; only painless hoarseness of the voice may appear, which goes away after a short rest. The mainstay of treatment is voice therapy, using steroid medications to reduce swelling of the laryngeal folds. But after another overload of the ligaments, nodules can appear again; the disease is chronic. In some cases, it is proposed to remove nodules using laser or cryosurgical methods;
• polyps are benign formations that are usually localized in the middle of the vocal folds. Signs of polyps include hoarseness of the voice, and sometimes the feeling of a foreign body in the throat. Polyps have clear edges, mostly red, the structure of the growth can be lobular or have a smooth surface, and the sizes can vary. The cause of polyps is mainly trauma to the larynx and ligaments. Just like nodules, treatment of polyps is based on voice therapy; if it is not effective, surgical intervention is resorted to;
• spasmodic dysphonia manifests itself in involuntary movements of the vocal folds. The causes of such disorders are most often mental disorders, severe stress or overload of ligaments. The disease is inherited, most often affecting people 30-40 years old. Spasmodic dysphonia is characterized by tension and unnaturalness of the voice. The pathology consists in limiting the motor function of the vocal cords. Injections are most often used for treatment special preparations in the area of ​​the ligaments. Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely cure the pathology, but only to improve the patient’s condition. If the proper result is not obtained after the injections, surgery may be prescribed;
• phonasthenia, a pathology expressed in weak closure of folds. Occurs due to overload of the vocal cords or fatigue of the nervous system. The main treatment method for phonasthenia is silence. In the chronic course of the disease without treatment, complete aphonia may develop, that is, loss of voice;
• Vocal cord cancer is perhaps the most difficult disease that requires immediate treatment. The exact reasons for its development have not been established, but it is known that factors influencing the appearance of atypical cells are smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. Also, a malignant tumor can degenerate as a result of lack of treatment for precancerous diseases, for example, after polyposis. Treatment is prescribed individually, as a rule, it is surgical in nature, requiring tumor removal, as well as radiation exposure.

As you can see, the vocal cords are the main instrument that allows us to speak. But, not only the ability to speak, but also the protection of the respiratory tract depends on their work, since the folds block the path for accidentally falling crumbs or water to enter the lungs or bronchi. Most often, people who have to talk a lot and loudly, singers, actors, and teachers encounter dysfunctions of these anatomical structures. They are more susceptible than others to the risk factor for the formation of ligament diseases; to prevent them, one should follow a vocal regime and give proper rest to the ligaments. In this case, they will reward you with smooth functioning of your voice without hoarseness.

Where are they located?

The vocal cords are located in an organ called the larynx. This is an unpaired organ that is located in the neck and passes into the trachea. The larynx is a tube that conducts air from the throat to the lower respiratory tract.

If we project the ligaments onto the skin, then in an adult they are located in the area of ​​the thyroid cartilage approximately in the middle of the neck.

The ligaments are stretched between the cartilages of the larynx from front to back. This structure allows them to change the width of the glottis, which forms the sound of the voice.

How many of them does a person have?

Clinical significance

Knowing where the ligaments are located has the following meaning:

• You can understand why throat diseases lead to voice changes.
• The ligaments are examined during laryngoscopy by an otolaryngologist.
• Treatment is carried out with the help of gargling and irrigation with sprays.

Knowledge of anatomy is necessary not only for a doctor, but also for people of other professions.

We all know about the magic of a smile, the elusive charm of a walk and the power of a look. And we don’t remember at all that the human voice is also capable of leaving a strong impression. So, having started a conversation with a stranger, sometimes we feel an incomprehensible sympathy, and sometimes even hostility and disappointment.

What determines the sound of a voice? Experts in this matter believe that the culprit is two “pearl cords”, whose name is the vocal cords. What do they like, what are they afraid of, where are they located and how do they change throughout their lives? We described this and much more in our article “ vocal cords“.

The structure of the vocal cords

Vocal cords, or as they are also called vocal folds, are not only responsible for voice formation, but also participate in protecting the lower respiratory tract (bronchial tubes and lungs) from the entry of food, water and foreign bodies into them. The composition of the vocal cord is heterogeneous. It contains connective and muscle tissue, which is covered on all sides by the mucous membrane. By the way, the mucous membrane of the ligaments has the same structure as the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the genitourinary system.

Apparently, this is why there is an opinion among people about the connection between voice and sexuality. However, there is no scientific confirmation of this hypothesis. But it has been absolutely proven that the level of sex hormones in a woman’s body can significantly affect.

And all because the larynx is a hormone-dependent organ, that is, the size of the larynx, its length, width, thickness and elasticity of the vocal folds change depending on the ratio of female and male sex hormones.

Voice: high or low

In childhood, the larynx of a boy and a girl is not much different, so their voices sound approximately the same. But under the influence of male sex hormones, during puberty, the boy’s larynx lengthens, widens, the Adam’s apple begins to protrude more strongly, and the vocal cords thicken. As a result of all these metamorphoses, the configuration of the respiratory tract changes noticeably, and the voice becomes rougher and lower.

The girl's voice also undergoes minor changes, becoming a little louder or lower than before. Although there are men with voices atypical for their gender, this is rather an exception to the rule, caused by genetic predisposition or hormonal imbalance (when a woman produces excess testosterone in her body, and estrogen in a man).

It’s not for nothing that two centuries ago tenor boys with good vocal abilities were castrated, deliberately depriving them of male sex hormones. Thanks to this, their larynx did not develop according to the male type, and the vocal cords remained as thin and elastic as those of a child.

old lady's voice

At the onset of old age human vocal cords undergo another age-related change. The same sex hormones influence this. After a certain time, hormones are no longer produced in the required quantities. With these processes, the blood supply to the mucous membrane deteriorates, it becomes thinner, less elastic and drier. The voice becomes weak and rattling due to non-closure of vocal cords.

However, it is not only age that spoils the voice. The notorious bad habits - passion for alcoholic beverages, as well as being in a dusty room can significantly weaken the vocal cords, since dust, nicotine and alcohol are very strong irritants of the laryngeal mucosa. And as a result, a spasm of the vessels that penetrate the larynx occurs, and the vocal cords are disrupted. The sonority of the voice is lost, it turns into a characteristic hoarse, raspy voice.

The effect of cold on the vocal cords

The vocal cords also do not like the cold, especially if it is necessary to shout or talk a lot. It was the cold that made its own adjustments to the sound of the famous Russian actor’s voice Vasily Livanov, who voiced everyone's favorite Carlson, the crocodile Gena and, of course, the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes. At the dawn of his acting career, Vasily Livanov starred in Mikhail Kalatozov’s film “An Unsent Letter.”

According to the director's idea, the actors had to not only act in the cold, but also voice their roles in the cold. After this, Vasily Livanov for a long time lost my voice. It was possible to return it only after long-term treatment, but it already began to sound completely different, acquiring that same Lebanese hoarseness. However, a cracked voice is not always the consequence of some disease.

Vladimir Vysotsky, for example, got his legendary voice from nature. And actor Nikita Dzhigurda “hardened” his ligaments in adolescence, when he and his friends sang Vysotsky’s songs with a guitar from morning to night.

Vocal cord nodules

30% of the speech apparatus consists of muscles, and they can get tired just like other muscles, for example the legs. Therefore, after speaking for 2-3 hours, a person in the voice-speech profession needs further sleep of about 8-9 hours.

This is the period of time required for restoration of vocal cords. Neglecting these rules may contribute to hoarseness, hoarseness or loss of voice.

If the loss of voice occurred from attending a rock concert or stadium, then a person only needs to remain silent for a couple of days. But if you mercilessly exploit the vocal folds for a long time, this can contribute to the formation singing nodules- these are specific benign neoplasms on the larynx, which in turn prevent the vocal cords from closing, causing hoarseness (an occupational disease of speakers, singers and teachers).

If the disease is detected at an early stage, when the nodule is just forming, the problem can be solved with the help of medications and physical therapy, which must be injected into the vocal cords. If the nodule has already formed, then only an otolaryngologist can restore the beauty of the sound of the voice.

Singing nodules can appear not only in singers, but also in children. Especially if they scream often, loudly and for a long time.

Relationship between legs and vocal cords

In cold weather, the vocal cords really don’t like being wet, because the projection points of the ENT organs and the larynx in particular are on the feet. Therefore, often hypothermia of the feet can cause a sore throat and hoarseness. During illness, it is very important not only to warm the throat with dry compresses, but also to keep your feet warm.

During this period, it is good to do inhalations with herbal decoctions (eucalyptus, chamomile), which have an astringent, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. At the same time, in order to breathe steam, you must be at a safe distance (30 cm between the steam source and the nasopharynx), so as not to get a burn to the mucous membrane from the hot air.

Diseased vocal cords need vitamins A and E, which improve tissue traffic, restore cells of the mucous membranes of the body and the immune system. B vitamins are also needed, but not as part of products, but as inhalations or infusions of vitamin mixtures and astringent solutions of colloidal silver.

Vocal cord training

Paradoxically, the vocal cords can be trained. True, it is quite difficult to do this on your own, so those who want to “tame” their baritone turn to phoniators And phonopedists. They are the ones who teach vocalists and speakers how to properly tense the muscles of the larynx, controlling air flows at their own discretion. Thanks to these secrets, many singers master the highest notes, bringing the audience to ecstasy.

However, not a single phoniologist can teach a person to sing if he naturally does not have a voice and hearing. Experts will not be able to “reforge” a rough voice, making it thin and sonorous, as was the case with the wolf in the fairy tale about the seven little kids. Although theoretically this could be achieved through plastic surgery to change the larynx. But for now it looks more like science fiction.

Facts about the larynx

• 30 years ago, Elton John almost lost his voice because in the 80s of the last century he was too keen on marijuana. To save his voice, surgeons had to perform a complex operation to remove polyps that had formed on Elton’s larynx as a result of smoking hashish. And although after this the performer had to remain silent for several years, overall his voice sounded deeper, wider and stronger.
• Jill Drake, a resident of Tenterden (Kent County in southeast England), is officially recognized as the owner of the loudest voice in the world. As a teaching assistant, Mrs. Drake, 48, can be heard above the engine noise of a landing plane. Having measured the power of her voice, experts were shocked: it turned out that the supersonic giant Concorde makes a noise of 120 decibels in low flight, while the strength of the junior teacher’s scream reaches 129 decibels!
• Unlike humans and animals, fish are completely devoid of vocal cords. However, this does not prevent them from “speaking” their fish language, making sounds by hitting their swim bladder. Although in some fish the role of a drum is played by a special hole covered with film, and the role of drumsticks is played by fins.

Dear blog readers, if you have interesting facts or stories about human vocal cords, please leave comments or reviews below. This will be very useful for someone!

The vocal cords are organs that are responsible not only for the formation of the voice, but also protect the lower respiratory tract from food, water and foreign objects entering them. The vocal folds are heterogeneous; they include connective and muscle tissue, which are evenly covered with mucous membrane on all sides. The vocal cords are located on both sides of the larynx. In diseases of the larynx, inflammation can spread to this paired organ.

Where are the human vocal cords located?

The vocal cords are paired organs made of elastic tissue, which in appearance resemble small flaps of leather attached to both sides of the larynx. In turn, the larynx is a hollow organ that is located between the pharynx and trachea. The larynx consists of peculiar hyaline cartilages, between which there are folds of mucous membrane - vocal and vestibular.

The vocal folds are made up of moving muscle tissue that is very mobile. Due to the contraction, the position of the ligaments changes somewhat, as well as their resistance to air entering the nasopharynx. It is because of the resistance of the ligaments to incoming air flows that a person is able to talk and make other sounds.

The voice appears when the joints of the larynx move, which leads to the expansion and narrowing of the glottis. The height and timbre of the voice depends on the width of this gap and on the tension of the muscle tissue. Sounds produced by humans are produced by the passage of air from the lower respiratory tract through the larynx. Already from such sounds a person forms separate words.

Common vocal cord diseases

Since the vocal cords are located directly in the larynx, any infectious and inflammatory pathologies of the throat can provoke their inflammation. Elastic formations that are responsible for speech may be subject to the following diseases:

In addition, various types of injuries can provoke severe pain in the vocal cords and voice disturbance. This may be mechanical or chemical damage caused by inhalation of various caustic chemicals.

If you suspect that a child has a small object stuck in his respiratory tract, you should not try to get it out yourself. A doctor should remove beads, buttons and other objects using a bronchoscope.

Diagnosis of laryngeal pathologies

If you have a sore throat for several days and conventional treatment methods do not help, you should see a doctor. The specialist will listen to the patient’s complaints and conduct the necessary examination. If laryngeal pathology is suspected, the following examination methods can be used:

To clarify the overall picture of the patient’s health, a clinical blood test is prescribed.

How to prevent ligament diseases

• Hypothermia must be avoided. In spring, you shouldn’t rush to take off your hat. It must be remembered that hypothermia of any ENT organ can lead to inflammation of the larynx and all its components.
• You need to beware of infectious diseases. It is required to carry out vaccination and revaccination against diphtheria in a timely manner.
• All respiratory diseases must be treated in a timely manner and in compliance with all doctor’s recommendations.
• If you feel the presence of a foreign body in your throat for a long time, you should see a doctor.
• If the voice remains hoarse for a long time and, despite treatment, the patient’s condition only worsens, you need to undergo a full examination.

With the help of the vocal cords, a person can speak and produce different sounds. Air passing through the larynx causes elastic formations to move, due to which sound is formed. In a calm state, the ligaments fit tightly to the larynx and do not interfere with the passage of air.

The vocal organ is one of the most important elements of the structure of the human body, the function of which is to protect the lungs and bronchi from foreign substances, water and food entering them. As the main part of the middle pharynx, the vocal cords are located on both sides of the larynx.

A large number of muscles take part in the work of elastic formations. The air falling on them causes vibrations and vibrations, thanks to which a person can make various sounds and form words. During a cold, the space between the ligaments is significantly reduced. Unpleasant sensations appear in the throat, which makes speech difficult, leading to hoarseness or complete loss of voice.

When speaking, they move closer to the larynx, straining and vibrating until all the air comes out. The height of the sounds produced depends on the degree of their tension. But in order to see the full picture of the work of this organ and understand its proper functioning, it is necessary to have an understanding of the complex structure of which the vocal cords are part.

Structure of the larynx

The upper part of the windpipe is located between the trachea and pharynx. The latter is an elongated canal that connects the oral cavity and nasal sinuses with the larynx and esophagus. Depending on the age of the person, its size may vary. Consisting of the epiglottis, thyroid and cricoid cartilages, vocal cords and trachea, the organ is covered inside with a membrane that performs protective, nutritional and other functions. The outer part of the cartilaginous skeleton of the larynx is covered with muscles and fiber, separating it from nearby formations.

The inner surface of the organ consists of fibrous and fibromuscular folds. And if the former are not sufficiently developed and do not participate in the formation of sounds, then the latter are direct participants in this process.

Ligament pathologies

• Granuloma. Inflammation that occurs as a result of trauma to the larynx, as well as when it is irritated. The voice becomes hoarse, and there is a feeling of a foreign body in the organ that you want to get rid of. In this case, the pain radiates to the auricle. The ulcers formed by the disease are pale pink in color and can grow. In these cases, conservative treatment is carried out, and if it is ineffective, surgery is performed. However, if you do not irritate the granuloma, it can resolve on its own.
• Overloading the ligaments can lead to the formation of benign growths. This creates seals that grow over time. The most prominent symptom here is hoarseness of the voice. Such a chronic disease requires constant monitoring by a doctor. To reduce swelling of the laryngeal folds, treatment with steroid drugs is prescribed. New growths are removed using a laser or cryosurgical method.

Cause of pain in vocal cords

There are also many other serious pathologies that occur extremely rarely. These include:

• various injuries;
• toxic substances that enter the larynx during inhalation;
• tuberculosis, which is extremely dangerous.

Diagnosis of diseases of the larynx

In order to establish the cause of the inflammation, it is necessary to consult a specialist and undergo a thorough examination, which includes the following medical measures:

• throat examination;
• neck palpation;
• X-ray;
• biopsy.

Most often, diseases of the vocal cords affect people whose profession is directly related to the speech apparatus. These include singers, theater actors, circus performers, teachers and others. In order not to put yourself at risk, you need to constantly monitor the manifestations of your body and take care of the strings of your voice.