Vocal Pain: Why Your Voice Hurts When Talking

Let me share three truths about pain that will help you understand why your voice hurts when talking. I will also share 5 tips on how to start reducing chronic pain or discomfort from your voice. You may actually be surprised to know that you already have everything you need within you to change your perception of vocal pain. 

Almost every day, I meet with people who experience some level of pain or discomfort when using their voice. And they all have one wish - they want the pain to go away. The problem with that wish is that the more they are focused on pain, the more it persists in their voice and body.

I want to tell you why this is happening and what you can do to start eliminating pain from your voice. This understanding of pain is one of the most important things you can do on the way to a better voice. And it does not matter how long you experienced pain, or how severe it is, knowing more about pain can actually decrease the perception of pain. Yes, just knowing how your body works can bring some relief.

So, here are three truths about pain:

Truth #1 Pain is a good thing

Your brain will produce pain when it concludes that your tissues are in danger and you need to do something about it. The sensation of pain is actually a very useful signal that can save you from further harm and danger. 

This is possible because there are millions and millions of sensors all over your body, in the skin, muscles, joints and ligaments. These sensors send millions and millions of messages to your brain. Some sensors inform your brain about the temperature, some respond to movement and position of different muscles and body parts, some sensors respond to pressure. Our brain receives these messages constantly. 

Danger messages can become pain messages when your brain interprets them as that. Pain is not a perfect representation of what is really going on at the tissue level. Because you can have a severe injury and no pain and you can have the most insignificant injury but a lot of pain. The amount of pain does not reflect the amount of tissue damage. 

Now, the opposite can be true too. A situation where there is no more danger of tissue damage but pain persists. And that’s when we talk about chronic pain. This is very typical of voice problems with persistent pain. 

Truth #2 Your brain is not perfect

The number one role of your body is to protect you. Your body will try to protect you no matter what. Survival is the main goal. It does not matter if the threat is real or not. And what I mean by that is: your body will protect you with pain from situations that don’t cause any tissue damage.

How is this possible? Your brain will consider everything possible and will not take any chances. Your brain will consider your thoughts, beliefs, past experiences, your knowledge and understanding, your values, your support system, the environment that you are in right now. There are so many factors that your brain will consider to protect you. 

And I could go on and on and on. There are so many things that can affect how your brain interprets signals and messages. But from my many years of experience, I know that people who are worried about their voice, who do not understand what is happening to them and why, people who believe that they will not get better, people who feel alone or people who feel like a failure, they tend to have more pain than others.

Truth #3 You have super powers

The good news is that you can actually affect how you perceive pain. As I said before, your brain receives a lot of messages from your body, some neutral messages, some danger messages and some messages of safety. If your brain receives mostly signals of safety, you have the power to decrease the amount of pain you feel. 

I absolutely know that it is very hard to believe that your thoughts, emotions and a million other factors can make your pain get worse or go away. I see it every day when I work with my clients. My reassurance that they are going to be ok and that they are not damaging their voice when talking go a long way in building their bank of safety messages to their brain. 

Five tips

Check with ENT

Make an appointment to see a laryngologist for a proper voice assessment. If the doctor tells you that there are no structural changes or damage on your vocal folds, then start believing that it is safe to use your voice even though it feels like burning inside your throat. Most likely, there is tension, which your body interprets as pain. 

Know What To Do

Find a trusted professional who can help you outline the next steps you need to take on your vocal journey. Make sure that you understand what needs to be done for you to feel better. Learn about your voice and how it works. Make sure you understand why you do what you do and how it is helping you. Understand what physical exercises, vocal exercises and manual approaches you can use to ease tension. 

Find Peers

Find people who have the same vocal issue. Knowing that there are people with the same problem who were able to find a solution gives you hope and emotional support. When you feel understood by others and when you don’t feel alone with your problem, pain tends to lessen. 

Attract Joy

Smile a lot. Spend time in joyful situations with your family and friends. 

Think Positively

Replace your negative thoughts with positive. Start your day with positive affirmations for your voice. Start with joy and hope instead of worry and despair. Follow a regular mindfulness or meditation practice and it does not have to be long.

These five tips will help you start signaling safety to your brain and your pain will slowly go away. But I have to warn you: this is a process, it’s not a quick fix. Your pain or discomfort will stay with you for some time because it is a learned behaviour. But luckily, learned behaviours can be unlearned, it just takes time.

If you are experiencing vocal strain, tension or even pain when speaking, and you are ready to work with me towards a free, strong and confident voice, you can apply to our Vocal Freedom System coaching program. Click here to schedule a chat with me.  

Watch the video below for more examples and details of this topic: 

Link to the video: https://youtu.be/AHO4noBhbl4