Straw Phonation Exercise Program for Pitch Extension

NCT05357222 | Active Not Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: IRB_00141650R01DC018280
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To investigate the change in fundamental frequency range and vocal fold stability achievable with vocal fold stretching exercise in human populations with high and low vocal activity

Conditions

Voice Fatigue; Voice Disorders; Voice Hoarseness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Voice Range Profile (VRP)

  a thorough voice range profile will be created by testing the participants lowest (minimum) and highest (maximum) achievable pitches across a spectrum of vocal intensities (soft, medium and loud).

  pre-intervention (initial evaluation)

• Voice Range Profile (VRP)

  a thorough voice range profile will be created by testing the participants lowest (minimum) and highest (maximum) achievable pitches across a spectrum of vocal intensities (soft, medium and loud).

  8 weeks post intervention

• Voice Range Profile (VRP)

  a thorough voice range profile will be created by testing the participants lowest (minimum) and highest (maximum) achievable pitches across a spectrum of vocal intensities (soft, medium and loud).

  3 months following intervention

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Electroglottography (EGG)

  pre-intervention

• Electroglottography (EGG)

  8 weeks post intervention

• Electroglottography (EGG)

  3 months following treatment.

• Acoustic measurement

  pre-intervention

• Acoustic measurement

  8 weeks post intervention

Study Arms (1)

Straw Phonation

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will undergo one session of voice habilitation via a straw phonation exercise protocol. This protocol has been extensively studied and validated in the largest randomized clinical trial in voice therapy by our team.

Behavioral: Straw phontion

Interventions

Straw phontion BEHAVIORAL

Pitch Glides: (1 minute) Vocalize through the straw starting from as low as possible to as high as possible. As the participant you will want to get as much as your vocal range as possible. But, don't let the voice get growly at the bottom or press it into a painful range at the top. 2\. Accents: (1 minute) Vocalize progressive little hills or accents. It sounds like a revving engine of the car. 3\. Song: (1 minute) Pick a favorite song and vocalize it through the straw. Examples: National Anthem, Happy Birthday, Mary had a Little Lamb. These are great songs because they have a range of pitches and one can build some accents in, as well. 4\. Reading passage: (1 minute) Vocalize a reading passage through the straw. Be as dramatic as possible, using a lot of inflection.

Also known as: Semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, flow resistant tube

Straw Phonation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must be 18 years or older
• no current voice disorder
• no history of performance or professional vocal training

You may not qualify if:

• history of head/neck cancer, laryngeal surgery, current voice disorder requiring medical management
• cognitive limitations that would prevent them from successfully and safely participating in the study.
• history of gastrointestinal disease or surgery w
• no known neurological or structural abnormalities of vocal folds
• previous laryngeal surgeries;
• allergies to local anesthetics (used to suppress a sensitive gag reflex during laryngeal endoscopic examination);
• cardiac abnormalities;
• recent history of smoking (must be completely smoke-free for six months prior to study commencement because of the effect of smoking on the voice and laryngopharyngeal reflux severity).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Utah: lead
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Voice Disorders; Hoarseness

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Laryngeal Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Respiration Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory

Study Officials

• Lynn Maxfield, PhD

  University of Utah

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Research Scientist

Model Details: Participants will be grouped based on their daily vocal usage (i.e. vocal user (4+ hours of speaking per day) or low vocal user (less than 4 hours per day). Both groups will be given a series of vocal stretching exercises that will be completed through a 2mm diameter straw.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 10, 2021
• First Posted: May 2, 2022
• Study Start: November 16, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: March 27, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)