The quality of a person’s voice is usually controlled by the vocal cords in the throat. There are two main nerves near the thyroid gland that control the vocal folds: the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the superior laryngeal nerve, both of which are located on either side of the trachea and the laryngeal node. These two nerves are located on each side of the trachea and the laryngeal node. Since the nerves are very delicate, any injury to one side of the nerve during thyroid surgery will cause changes in voice quality. Usually, injury to the superior laryngeal nerve causes inability to pronounce high pitched sounds, unilateral injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve will cause hoarseness, and bilateral injury will cause inability to pronounce sounds and difficulty in breathing, requiring a tracheotomy to assist in breathing, which is a serious complication that is still quite rare in the clinic. As the old saying goes, “If you always walk by the river, there is no such thing as a wet shoe”. Even the most skillful surgeon can’t say that every surgery is foolproof. Because the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the superior laryngeal nerve are close to the dorsal and superior sides of the thyroid gland, there is no guarantee that the recurrent laryngeal nerve will not be pulled or tugged during thyroid surgery. What should I do if I find that I have problems with my voice after surgery, such as it is not as sweet, not as beautiful, not as loud, or I don’t feel like I have enough breath when I say a few words? First of all, you should understand that there are several possibilities, such as edema of the vocal cords after tracheal intubation (a small tube inserted in the throat during general anesthesia), or temporary decrease in the function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, supraglottic laryngeal nerve due to irritation such as pulling or squeezing, or unilateral laryngeal nerve ligature or cut off, etc. The changes in the voice caused by these circumstances can be recovered slowly. So, what is the solution for voice recovery? Of course there is! The simplest and most brutal way is: wait! Whether it’s edema of the vocal cords or a temporary decline in the function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, it will have a recovery process, and with time, it will naturally be as good as new. At this point, some people may ask, “I want to recover faster, is there a better way? The answer is: there is! The next step is to tell you how to do it: articulation exercises. This articulation exercise is a bit like hanging your voice. Of course, this is a scientific method, not shouting at the top of your voice (which would not have been able to shout out). Specific methods are as follows: 1, tips before the exercise: the exercise is designed to strengthen the vocal cords movement as well as improve the quality of voice. Please follow the instructions. It is recommended that you do this exercise for a short period of time, 3-4 times a day, for 5-10 minutes each time. Your voice may be easily fatigued at the beginning of the exercise. If you feel a sore throat, take a break and drink a glass of water, and practice again when you feel comfortable. 2. Starting the Exercise 2.1 Relax the muscles around the neck and shoulders so that there is no extra force when pronouncing. Raise your shoulders toward your ears until you feel tension in your shoulders. Let the shoulders descend as naturally and smoothly as possible until the tension disappears. Note that the shoulders should be completely relaxed, even if mildly raised. Gently move the shoulders in both directions forward and backward, aiming for easy and comfortable movement. Stretch gently in both directions to the left and right, looking around the room to relax the neck muscles. Gently tilt your head to either side while looking straight ahead. Look up and then down. Do not overstretch to avoid aggravating neck or joint discomfort. Repeat each movement 3 times. 2.2 When speaking take care to use full deep breathing. You may feel that saying the same number of words has exhausted your strength relative to usual. So take a deeper breath before you start speaking to maintain your pronunciation. Sit comfortably in a relaxed and supported position, or lie down. Take a deep breath through your nose or mouth and feel the lower area of your chest expand as the gas enters. You will feel the expansion just below the lower ribs, or just above the belly button, and allow the gas to exhale silently. Do not do deep inhalations and deep exhalations in quick succession as this can make you feel dizzy and uncomfortable. On the next exhale, gently pronounce the “sh” sound (the first part of the word “ten”), but do not tighten your throat while doing this. 2.3 Vocal cord exercises. Staying as relaxed as possible, and taking care to breathe deeply and completely, try these exercises designed to bring the two vocal cords together exactly so that the voice sounds as clear as possible. Make a strong “ah” sound, paying special attention to the beginning of the sound, as crisp and clear as possible. Then try a very powerful “ah” sound, paying attention to the fact that this may not be as clear in terms of sound quality compared to a slightly softer “ah” sound, but it is not explosive enough to keep the sound in the raspy state of the early stages of articulation. The goal is to keep the sound as clear and strong as possible. Repeat the above 5 kanji 3 times for each of the 5 kanji. Then practice “ah-oh!” and listen to a strong, clear sound. Once you have mastered the above individual sounds, try combining them, e.g., ah-ee, oi oh, etc., or use “yah, wah, lah, see, drink,” etc., which contain some of the above sounds. Repeat this set of pronunciation exercises as many times as you can, 3 times a day (or more, depending on your ability), and try to keep your pronunciation as precise and clear as possible until your voice is restored. See, the method is actually not complicated, the point is to do it; and neck stretching can also relieve all the discomfort caused by neck scarring after thyroid surgery, killing two birds with one stone. So, if you don’t happen to have a bad or loud voice after thyroid surgery, you can take vitamins B1, B12 and methylcobalamin on your doctor’s advice while practicing your pronunciation in due course! I wish you a speedy revitalization!