Treatment for Teachers With Vocal Fatigue

Treatment Clinical Trial

Official title:

Cardiovascular Conditioning in the Treatment of Vocal Fatigue

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04486989
• Other study ID #: 1R15DC017014-01A1
• Secondary ID: 0819.1s-ETSU
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 4, 2020
• Est. completion date: June 6, 2023

Study information

• Verified date: November 2023
• Source: East Tennessee State University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Teachers are a population at high risk for voice disorders given their occupational demands. In a teaching career, a common debilitating symptom among all vocal symptoms experienced is - vocal fatigue, impacting teachers' occupational performance and increasing health care costs. It is therefore essential to identify potential treatment options to alleviate the symptom of vocal fatigue. The purpose of this study is to utilize a body-system level cardiovascular training protocol in comparison to traditional voice production training to alleviate the symptoms of vocal fatigue.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 31
• Est. completion date: June 6, 2023
• Est. primary completion date: March 30, 2023
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Female
• Age group: 21 Years to 60 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female teachers between the ages of 21-60 years Female instructors and college professors between the ages of 21-60 years
• A score of = 15 on factor 1 of the VFI (tiredness and avoidance of voice use) or a score of = 5 on factor 3 of the VFI (improvement of symptoms or lack thereof with rest)
• Sedentary- wherein participants will need to be completing mild intensity cardiovascular exercise less than 150 minutes in less than 5 days per week

Exclusion Criteria:

• Trained athletes
• Trained singers
• Smoking in the past 6months
• Prior history of a vocal fold pathology and current vocal fold pathology

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Fatigue
• Treatment
• Vocal Fatigue

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Cardiovascular Conditioning Protocol
Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.

Other:
• Voice Production Exercises
Participants will be randomized to either one of the treatment arms to receive treatment for a period of 4 weeks.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	East Tennessee State University	Johnson City	Tennessee

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
East Tennessee State University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Changes in Physiologic Cost of Speaking	Physiologic Cost of Speaking is measured as the rate of oxygen consumption at steady state/ rate of speech (wpm) for each of the two reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Oxygen Uptake Kinetics	Oxygen Uptake Kinetics is measured as the pattern of oxygen use during each of the two reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Post Task Physiological Recovery	Post Task Physiological Recovery is measured as the time, seconds, to reach baseline of oxygen consumption post task (within 0.2ml/kg/min) following each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Excess Post Exercise Consumption (EPOC)	EPOC is measured as the magnitude of recovery oxygen consumption, ml/kg/min for each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)	Borg Scale of Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPE)- measures the self-report of vocal effort for each of the reading tasks	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI)	Vocal Fatigue Index (VFI) is a retrospective scale that measures self-reported symptoms of vocal fatigue	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment
Primary	Changes in Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm)	Global Rating of Vocal Fatigue (VAS 100mm) measures the ability to sustain voice with no fatigue at the end of a working day	At baseline, at 4 weeks after treatment