Others sometimes judge you by the way you speak. Whether your voice is monotonous or melodious, rough or smooth, your voice plays an important role in how others perceive you.

The sound of your voice comes from air passing from your lungs through your “larynx” or voice box. The vocal cords in your larynx are two bands of muscle that vibrate to make sound.

You can injure your vocal cords by talking too much, screaming, clearing our throats too much and smoking. These can lead to nodules, polyps and sores on your vocal cords. Other causes include infections, stomach acids moving up into your throat, growths due to a virus, cancer and diseases which paralyze the vocal cords.

Treatment for vocal conditions depends on the cause. But we can treat most voice problems successfully when they are diagnosed early.

Feel free to take this interactive voice quiz to learn how well your voice is working for you.

To make an appointment with a voice specialist at Performance Voice Solutions, call (317) 705-2732. Performance Voice Solutions is a division of Northside ENT.