Effect of Vocal Exercise on Respiratory Function and Voice Quality in Patients with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Mini-review

OBJECTIVES: This study reviewed the effect of vocal exercise on patients with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). METHODS: An electronic search of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and Embase databases was conducted for relevant studies published between 1980 and 2022. The review included studies that used randomized controlled trials to examine the effects of vocal exercise on people with cervical SCI. RESULTS: We screened 1351 articles, of which 4 studies were eligible for inclusion. Vocal exercises were conducted two or three times a week for 12–24 weeks. Random sequences were adequately generated in all studies. All studies used respiratory function as the main outcome, and three studies used vocal quality as an outcome. In all studies, there were no dropouts other than those caused by unexpected illness. Vocal exercises were reported to have a positive effect on respiratory function in all studies and on voice quality in three studies. Meta-analysis was not possible because of the heterogeneity of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: Vocal exercise for SCI is a sustainable method that does not require special equipment or skills. More studies with large sample sizes are needed to confirm the effects of vocal exercises in patients with cervical SCI.