Chronic Cough Treatment in Melbourne & Online

Chronic cough (or chronic refractory cough) is a persistent condition that results in constant, long term coughing without a known cause.

This condition is diagnosed when your medical team can not identify a clear causing agent behind the persistent cough.

Individuals with chronic cough often feel like they have exhausted all treatment options for eliminating the cough and may have had numerous medical examinations to rule out respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchospasm, gastroesophageal reflux, allergies, neurological conditions...

What is chronic cough? 🤔

The term chronic refractory cough, persistent or chronic cough is used to describe a cough that has lasted for more than eight weeks.

Coughing can be so violent that it can lead to incontinence, vomiting or rib fracture. 

 Coughing can be so violent that it can lead to incontinence, vomiting or rib fracture.

Chronic refractory cough also frequently leads to social participation limitations and can result in social isolation and even depression when symptoms do not ease up.

Why am I coughing in the first place?

Coughing provides protection to your body by clearing your lungs and breathing tubes from things that cause irritation. This includes secretions, mucous, foreign particles.

Coughing is necessary if you are suffering from a chest infection or if some food or drink has gone down the wrong way when swallowing.

Individuals who experience chronic cough, cough even when there's no substance that needs clearing. We call this an unproductive cough.

The cough arises from unidentifiable irritation and can be sudden, violent, explosive and often impossible to repress.

What are some typical symptoms of chronic cough?

The following symptoms are often characteristic of chronic cough:

• an irrepressible urge to cough that has lasted more than 8 weeks
• a cough that can not be solved with medical treatment
• voice quality impacts- your voice may become husky, rough, breathy or damaged from frequent coughing episodes
• voice breaks
• a dry unproductive cough
• chest muscle pain
• urinary incontinence from coughing
• fatigue
• exhaustion
• vomiting
• loss of sleep due to rousing coughing bouts in the night
• rib fractures
• quality of life impacts

At Voice Science we will take a thorough assessment into cough behaviours and identify potential triggers or irritants that may be contributing to the cough. The Voice assessment session will involve a few clinical tests including:

1. Comprehensive speech pathology case history
2. The Newcastle Laryngeal Hypersensitivity Questionnaire
3. The Voice Handicap Index
4. The Reflux Index
5. The Leicester Cough Questionnaire
6. The Urge to cough test
7. Paradoxical vocal fold movement assessment

We will also undertake a comprehensive acoustic voice assessment. The analysis provides vital insight into the vibratory behaviour of your voice muscle. The assessment will also include investigation of pitch features, voice quality, respiration, resonance, projection, vocal range and amplitude. This part of the assessment ensures that vocal irritation is not contributing to the incidence of cough.

How is chronic cough treated by speech pathologists?

Current best practice recommends that speech pathologists apply a behavioural therapy approach to the management of chronic cough. Generally a trial period of voice therapy is recommended to rehabilitate the larynx and provide you with strategies and exercises to assist in suppressing the cough.

We stay up to date with latest research papers investigating speech pathology methods for chronic cough elimination. Our goal is to trial measures that restore your tissue to its original structure and reduce the irritation that is accounting for coughing.

Our team works closely with WorkSafe Victoria case managers. Many voice issues are due to occupational risk factors and it is important that your workplace supports healthy voice production. It is recommended to consider opening a Worksafe case if you believe voice problems have been caused at work. Worksafe will advocate for healthy voice recovery and work alongside your employer to ensure a return to work that optimises and guarantees your vocal health and prevent further damage.

Why can't I stop coughing?

The big challenge with stopping a chronic cough is reducing irritation. Chronic cough is like a vicious cycle- the more you cough,  the more the voice becomes irritated which leads to further coughing. It is important that speech pathology strategies are implemented with an action plan so that when you have the urge to cough, you have a strategy to prevent it occurring as best as possible so that irritation reduces which generally results in coughing reduction.

Related Read 🔗

How to Secure a Crystal Clear Voice Tone that Never Fails You (Even when you’re nervous)

Book a diagnostic voice assessment now

Voice Science provides voice therapy for chronic cough in Melbourne to local clients. You can book for face to face voice therapy sessions in our St Kilda Road clinic in Melbourne. If you don’t live in Melbourne and want to do voice treatment with us, don’t worry! We also give online voice therapy sessions for clients located elsewhere in Australia or overseas.

Voice Science provides evidence based chronic cough therapy in Melbourne and online.

Make a query and find out more about our voice therapy….

References

• University Of Michigan Health System. (2003, April 14). Changes In Your Voice May Mean Trouble, Vocal Health Expert Warns. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 21, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030414084332.htm