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with communication difficulties. As sports speech therapist Jim
D. Moss writes, “Many patients have expressed to me how help-
ful speech therapy has been for their recovery from the devastat-
ing effects of concussion.”
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In recent years SLPs have been hired to treat athletes who suf-
fer from a condition called vocal cord dysfunction (VCD). This is a
type of respiratory disorder that interrupts the normal breathing cy-
cle and causes shortness of breath, which can inhibit an athlete’s
performance or even cause them to faint on the field. Speech ther-
apist Amika Osumi describes the condition: “The proper way for
the body to breathe involves the vocal cords opening when inhal-
ing and moving to a closed position when exhaling. But for some-
one with VCD, the opposite occurs: their vocal cords close when
inhaling and can cause panic and exhaustion for an athlete.”
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VCD is often misdiagnosed as asthma because the symptoms
are similar, tightness in the throat during intense exercise accom-
panied by a high-pitched, abnormal wheezing sound known as
stridor. In 2013 researchers discovered that VCD affected around
5 percent of adult athletes. Sports speech therapists are trained
to recognize the symptoms of VCD and teach athletes relaxation
techniques and breathing exercises that have been clinically
proven to reduce symptoms.
Working as a Sports Speech Therapist
Sports speech therapists often work as part of a team that might
include physicians, nurses, psychologists, and athletic trainers.
When not treating patients, sports speech therapists spend a lot
of time writing. They review and edit notes from sessions with
clients, update detailed records of evaluations and patient prog-
ress, and file paperwork. Sports speech therapists often become
professionally close to their clients. They help them celebrate suc-
cesses and offer counseling during setbacks.
Speech therapist Anthony Salvatore works with young athletes
within his local community to prevent serious injuries. Salvatore set
up a concussion management clinic at the University of Texas at El
