Possible Conditions

Throat Pain from Voice Use

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Patients who suffer from throat pain from voice use (odynophonia) typically suffer from a pain in the neck and fatigue, aching muscles, and muscle tension. Pain is not just with a glottic closure problem. The patient is often incapacitated by severe pain and may not want to talk. Further voice use may commonly set off pain.

Possible causes include:

• Vocal fold cancer
• Vocal fold hemorrhage
• Reflux laryngitis
• Vocal fold lesions
• Vocal fold granuloma
• Cricoarytenoid arthritis

Symptom Cluster Comparison Chart

More information, including associated clues, usual physician exams, typical findings, confirming exams, and areas requiring careful attention, are available in a Symptom Cluster Comparison Chart. Please click here to open the chart in a new window.

(For more information, see Voice Disorders, Laryngeal Atypia and Early Cancer, Laryngeal Advanced Cancer, Reflux Laryngitis, Vocal Fold Lesions, and Vocal Fold Granuloma.)

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