A spasmodic dysphonia tracker for the days your voice will not do what you ask
A chronic illness tracker and gentle companion that already knows what spasmodic dysphonia can involve, so you do not have to explain it from scratch.
What spasmodic dysphonia can involve
Spasmodic dysphonia, also called laryngeal dystonia or voice dystonia, is a neurological condition where the muscles of the voice box tighten or open at the wrong moments while you speak. In the adductor type the voice sounds strained, strangled and broken; in the abductor type it goes breathy and quiet; some people have a mix of both. It often changes from day to day, task to task, and even word to word.
Many people take a while to get a name for it, and along the way they are often told it is stress, nerves or nothing at all. taluvu's founder lives with adductor dysphonia, that story is here, and it took more than three years of ENT appointments and voice work to get answers. That is why this page exists, and why the app is getting a voice diary built for exactly this.
Adductor spasmodic dysphonia is the most common form, abductor spasmodic dysphonia is less common, and the mixed form is very rare.
Spasmodic dysphonia symptoms checklist to take to your GP
Tick what applies to you, note how often it happens, and take it to your appointment, so the conversation starts further along. It describes your experience. It does not say what is causing anything: ticking most of these does not mean you have Spasmodic dysphonia, and ticking a few does not mean you do not. Only a clinician can work that out with you.
The list comes from the NHS and charity sources linked further down this page, and from what people living with spasmodic dysphonia tell us they keep an eye on. It is a starting point, not a test.
How a day can feel
If your days sound anything like this, taluvu was made with you in mind.
“My voice cuts out mid-word and I cannot stop it.”
“People assume I am upset when I am perfectly calm.”
“I plan sentences to avoid the words that catch.”
“I avoid the phone whenever I possibly can.”
“I never know which version of my voice will turn up.”
These are the kinds of things taluvu invites you to say in your own words, never a checklist of what anyone “should” have.
What taluvu helps you keep track of
Choose Spasmodic dysphonia and it starts you with a palette, not a blank form.
These are things people living with spasmodic dysphonia often want to keep an eye on. Remove any you do not need, add your own, and check in with a few taps on the days you have very little to give.
Voice cutting out mid-sentence
Strained or strangled voice
Effort to push words out
Voice tiredness
Losing my voice
Throat tightness
Avoiding phone calls
✎ A journal in your own words, not a score
◔ A plain-English week view of what stands out
▤ A Doctor Summary you own and can print
☏ Your care team’s details in one place
taluvu never claims one thing caused another. It shows what's worth noticing and leaves the medicine to your doctor. See how the symptom tracker app works.
Trusted information and support
Places we point people to for spasmodic dysphonia.
The same sources and communities taluvu links to inside the app. They're independent of us; please check anything important with your own care team.
About this page: Published by taluvu and checked against the independent sources linked above on 16 October 2026. It has not been medically reviewed and is not medical advice. How we write and check these pages.
Questions people ask
Spasmodic dysphonia and taluvu, in plain answers.
Short, honest answers about what taluvu does and does not do for spasmodic dysphonia. Nothing here is medical advice.
Is taluvu a spasmodic dysphonia tracker?
Yes. Spasmodic dysphonia, adductor dysphonia, abductor dysphonia and mixed dysphonia are all built into taluvu, and adductor dysphonia is one of the conditions its founder lives with. Choose yours and you start with a palette of voice breaks, strain, effort, voice tiredness, throat tightness and the phone calls you avoided, and every entry has room for your own words.
Can I keep a record of the weeks after an injection?
Yes. taluvu has a voice diary, new in version 1.0.8 (see what's new). Each day you rate how speaking went, keep a short voice recording, and note an injection day and what you were told was given. Your Doctor Summary lines the days up from each injection. These are your own ratings; taluvu does not measure your voice or say if a treatment worked.
Does taluvu tell me which treatment to have?
No. taluvu does not give treatment advice, and nothing in it is a substitute for your ENT team, your speech and language therapist or a voice clinic. If you have new or worsening trouble swallowing or breathing, contact your clinic or NHS 111, and in an emergency call 999.
Why keep a day-by-day record of a voice condition?
Because a voice changes faster than memory can hold. By the time of an appointment it is hard to say honestly which weeks were clear and which were a struggle. A short daily rating, kept over a few months, gives you a record in your own words that you can read out, or hand over, when the voice itself will not cooperate.
Getting taluvu
Carry spasmodic dysphonia with a little more company.
taluvu is a chronic illness tracker for iPhone and for your web browser. Each one is a separate membership with a free trial, and the price and terms are shown in full before you're ever asked to pay.
Taluvu Chronic Illness Tracker
TALUVU LTD · Health and Fitness · iPhone
Free to download, with a Taluvu Pro subscription inside
Taluvu Chronic Illness Tracker
TALUVU LTD · Health and Fitness · Computer
Start with a free week of Taluvu Pro, in your web browser
These pages cover experiences that can sit alongside spasmodic dysphonia. They are here to help you organise what you notice, not to suggest a diagnosis.
taluvu is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Nothing on this page is a substitute for advice from your own doctor or care team. taluvu helps you organise and describe your own experience. See the Medical & AI Disclaimer.
If you are in crisis or need urgent help, contact your local emergency services or a crisis line. In the UK, call 999 in an emergency, NHS 111 for urgent advice, or Samaritans free on 116 123.
