Singers and dancers in Hampton Roads looking for relief from strained vocal or performance injuries may be able to find a cure at Riverside Performing Arts Medicine (PAM).
PAM provides specialized medical treatment to vocalists, dancers, actors, musicians, and other performers in need of care. Dr. Catherine Lintzenich is a trained singer and laryngologist—a doctor who treats disorders and diseases related to the vocal apparatus, particularly the larynx—who has assisted patients at PAM for the past two years.
“I work with those in the performing arts, and anyone who uses their voice in front of an audience, including singers, actors, teachers, clergymen, and lawyers,” says Lintzenich.
Lintzenich grew up in Newport News and currently works as an ENT-otolaryngologist there and in Williamsburg. She earned her medical degree from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina.
“I decided to go to medical school when I was in high school because I loved science, and I was intrigued by using science to help people,” she says. “I knew early on that I was drawn to the surgical fields. Watching vocal fold surgery was what drew me to the field of otolaryngology.”
Roughly 25 percent of Lintzenich’s patients are individuals with conditions affecting their voice. Lintzenich treats patients with voice and swallowing problems that may be related to acid reflux, allergies, lesions, polyps, or cysts on the vocal cords. Her treatments include working with speech pathologists on voice therapy, or medical care or surgery. PAM is the only practice on the Peninsula that uses videostroboscopy, a technique using a tiny, high definition strobe camera inserted through the nose to get a close up shot of the larynx and vocal cords. It provides a magnified, slow motion view of the vocal cords in action.
Through videostroboscopy, “we are able to see any subtle problems with the vocal cords,” Linzenich says, including any scarring or lesions.
During the process, patients are able to watch their vocal cords on a screen.
“Most of them have never seen their vocal cords before,” she says. “I enjoy working with singers and educating them, and showing them how their whole body is an instrument. In order to drive your voice, the air, the breath support, you are using your whole body, your posture, your diaphragm, your lungs. It’s all important in producing a good voice.”
Lintzenich knows from experience how to properly care for your voice. She’s sung most of her life in choirs, small ensembles, bands, solos in church, and in musical theater.
“Singing is such a unique way for humans to express emotions, tell stories, and give praise,” she says. “Most singers consider their ability to use their voice in this way to be one of their defining characteristics. Singing is essential to their wellbeing.”
PAM works with singers from Busch Gardens, College of William & Mary, Christopher Newport University, and other performance groups to educate them about the importance of voice care. She partners with trained speech pathologists on voice therapy, which helps patients with breathe support, posture, and any tension in their tongue or neck, as well as vocal hygiene.
“We are trying to show them how to use their speaking voice and singing voice in the best possible way, the healthiest possible way,” she says.
Vocalists can care for their voices at home through simple steps that include warming up and breathing appropriately before performing, staying fully hydrated, not smoking, and avoiding decongestants and antihistamines.
But if anything is painful, or it is uncomfortable to sing or talk, she suggests seeking help immediately.
“If it doesn’t feel right or sound right, you need to have it checked out,” Lintzenich says.
For more information on Riverside Performing Arts Medicine, visit riversideonline.com/arts.