Where are the vocal cords?

Speaking is how we communicate, and the vocal cords are the organs that produce our voice. When we speak, we can clearly feel the vibration in the throat. This is because our voice is produced through vibration. The vocal cords are located roughly at the same position as the Adam's apple, and it is easy to confuse the two. Our vocal cords are related to our speaking, so we must protect them well.

The location of the first vocal cord.

The vocal cords are inside our throat and are composed of two vocal folds. They are connected to the trachea. It can be said that they are like a switch of the trachea. When we make sounds, the vocal folds on both sides are tightened, the gap in the middle becomes narrower, or even almost closed. The airflow rushing out from the trachea and lungs constantly impacts the vocal cords, causing vibration and making sounds. Therefore, the length, tightness and size of the gap in the vocal cords will affect the pitch of the voice. The vocal cords of adult men are long and wide, while those of women are short and narrow, so women have higher-pitched voices than men. Also, teenagers’ voices start to change at the age of 14, and it usually lasts for about half a year.

Second vocal technique.

Adjust the throat resonance cavity to be thick at one end and thin at the other end. This resonance position will have the effect of amplifying the sound. Therefore, before making a sound, you should open your mouth wide, straighten the back of your neck, stand up the epiglottis cartilage, push the tongue down, and lower the soft palate and uvula. Form a straight tube. After the sound is emitted from the vocal cords, it rushes directly upward to the top of the nasopharynx and swirls around the top of the head. This sound sounds very loud, rich, and has a metallic quality. This is the "head voice area vocalization method". To check whether this method is used correctly, just touch the back of your head and the top of your head to see if you feel any vibration while you are speaking.

The third most common disease.

1. Vocal cord polyps: It is a common disease of the larynx and a type of chronic laryngitis. Improper use of voice, upper respiratory tract infection and smoking are the triggering factors. Clinically, vocal cord polyps are divided into two types. One is localized vocal cord polyps, which are characterized by edema of the mucosal interstitial edema and vascular dilation at the junction of the anterior and middle 1/3 of the vocal cords, with fibrosis and hyaline degeneration in the later stages. The other type is diffuse vocal cord polyposis, also known as vocal cord polypoid degeneration, which is characterized by a wider range of edema and often invades both sides, with one side being more severe.

2. Vocal cord paralysis: also known as laryngeal paralysis, is a clinical manifestation rather than an independent disease. When the motor nerve to the larynx (recurrent laryngeal nerve) is damaged, three types of paralysis may occur: vocal cord abduction, adduction, or relaxation.

3. Vocal cord nodules: Polyps are more common on one side, while nodules are more common on both sides. Vocal cord nodules refer to the symmetrical nodular proliferations at the junction of the anterior and middle 1/3 of the vocal cord edges on both sides, which hinder the closure of the glottis and even cause hoarseness and loss of voice. Most of them are vocal cord proliferative lesions caused by pronunciation methods and excessive use of the voice.