Green Voice Gymnasium
Sponsored by GRF of the Research Grants Council
Aim
To utilize a passive vocal exercise that can be used in everyday living in reducing vocal fatigue and improving vocal function.
Why Whole-body Vibration?
Vocal fatigue is frequently experienced by professional voice users, like teachers, singers, and telemarketers. After a prolonged voice use, the vocal functions will be reduced, causing vocal fatigue that can be severe enough to result in reduced work attendance, job dissatisfaction and stress or anxiety.
The traditional management of vocal fatigue is to have voice rest. The recent research of Prof. Yiu showed that vibration therapy is more effective in relieving vocal fatigue than having voice rest only (Yiu et al., 2019). Whole-body vibration has been used widely in physiotherapy and sports training to reduce muscle fatigue. In particular, the use of whole-body vibration involves a mechanical vertical oscillation generated by a machine was revealed to be most effective in relieving vocal fatigue among other vibration options (Yiu & Lee, in press). It is proposed that the vibration helps the enhancement of whole-body relaxation and elasticity to release laryngeal muscle tension.
Project Activities (on going)
Starting from 2022, elderly from elderly daycare centres sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen will be carried out a series of activities. Interested elderlies that volunteer will be the Green Voice Senior. The activities include:
- Treatment for teacher: 4 whole-body vibration machine was placed at different schools for the teacher to receive weekly treatment after teaching. Before the treatment, training was provided by speech therapists to each teacher in assessing the customized vibration level and operating the machine, allowing optimal treatment effect when the teachers are using it.
- Treatment for the public: We are currently recruiting participants for a new project utilizing whole-body vibration and ultrasound imaging in improving vocal functions. If you are an adult who would like to improve your voice, and/or have voice problem or vocal fatigue, you may refer to (this page) for more project and registration detail.
項目研究
Yiu, Edwin M.L, Liu, Christine C.Y, Chan, Candy Y.P, Barrett, Elizabeth, & Lu, Dan. (2021). Vibrational Therapies for Vocal Fatigue. Journal of Voice, 35(1), 29-39.
Yiu, E. M. L., & Lee, S. C. (In Press). Comparing the Effects of Self-Generated and Platform-Generated Whole Body Vibration on Vocal Fatigue. Journal of Voice.
Chan, K.M.-K. & Yiu, E.M.-L. (2019) Localized and whole-body vibrational therapies for voice: A possible therapeutic technique [Paper Presentation]. 31st World Congress of the International Association of Logopedics & Phoniatrics (IALP) 2019, Taipei, Taiwan, 18-22 August 2019.
Reference
Tsang, C.L.C., Barrett, E. A. & Yiu, E. M.-L. (2016). Whole-body vibration as a potential method to improve phonatory function: A passive alternative to vocal function exercise [Poster presentation]. The Voice Foundation’s 45th Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice, PA, USA. June 2016.
Yiu, E.M.-L. (2018) Whole Body Vibration: A novice approach to voice therapy. Hong Kong Speech & Hearing Sciences Symposium. Hong Kong, China, Nov 2018.
Yiu, E.M.L. Chan, C.Y.P., Cheng, C. (2018) Effect of whole body vibration on phonatory function: A possible therapeutic technique [Paper Presentation]. Annual Voice Symposium, Philadelphia, May-Jun 2018.
Yiu, E. M., Liu, C. C., Chan, C. Y., Barrett, E., & Lu, D. (2021). Vibrational therapies for vocal fatigue. Journal of Voice, 35(1), 29-39.
Yiu, E.M.L., Liu, C.C.Y., Chan, C.Y.P. Lu, D. (2018) Vibrational therapies for voice problems [Paper Presentation]. Speech Pathology 2018 Conference. Adelaide, Australia. May 2018.
