Myofascial Release Therapy Augments the Effect of Voice Therapy in Patients With Cervicalgia

To analyze the synergistic effects of myofascial release physical therapy (MFRPT) and voice therapy (VT) in reducing symptom severity for patients diagnosed with cervicalgia and associated functional laryngeal conditions.

This retrospective analysis included adult patients with cervicalgia and functional laryngeal conditions-muscle tension dysphonia (MTDa), muscle tension dysphagia (MTDg), chronic cough (CC), or globus sensation (GP)-at a tertiary care center. Patients received MFRPT, VT, or a combination of both (VT + MFRPT). Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) assessed symptom severity before and after therapy and included the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10), Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Laryngopharyngeal Measure of Perceived Sensation (LUMP), Dyspnea Index (DI), Cough Severity Index (CSI), and Dysphagia Handicap Index (DHI).

Eighty-seven patients were analyzed. 74.7% were female, and the mean age was 55.8 (SD = 16.3). Treatment groups included MFRPT (n = 41), VT (n = 26), and VT + MFRPT (n = 20). Statistically significant improvements were observed in VHI-10 (p = 0.006), RSI (p = 0.007), and LUMP (p = 0.04) scores for VT only. MFRPT only had a statistically significant improvements in RSI (p = 0.04). VT + MFRPT yielded significant improvements across all PROMs and provided additional benefit over VT only for RSI (p = 0.02), LUMP (p = 0.03), DI (p = 0.008), and CSI (p = 0.02).

Combining MFRPT with VT demonstrates superior efficacy in treating cervicalgia and related laryngeal symptoms compared to VT only. Significant improvements across multiple PROMs suggest this integrated approach effectively addresses diverse patient symptoms.