Generally speaking, people can sing sick or when they feel some vocal discomfort. Soreness is common when learning to sing high notes for the first time. The famous slogan “no pain, no gain,” suggests athletes must move past general muscle aches in order to achieve physical greatness. The idea is the more pain you are in, the better off you will be in the long run. That is not true, and especially when it comes to singing.

Your voice is the only one you will ever have, so learn how to protect it.

Vocal Swelling: You may sing easily when you have a stomach flu or chicken pox, but when you experience any kind of swelling in the vocal folds then it is time to give your voice a break. How much of one depends on you. You may need to stop singing for a while and limit your speech. Others will find they have no pain singing songs in a less challenging range. Singers with a vast knowledge of vocal technique may even be able to perform an hour without much discomfort. However, if you experience vocal stress while singing sick, it can cause more swelling or worse and a longer period of recuperation.

Duration of Discomfort: Even the slightest vocal discomfort for a long enough duration can be detrimental. Those working on extending range should not sing high notes until they are hoarse. But, how long it takes for someone to cause swelling in the voice is an individual matter. Only you can tell how much vocal discomfort your cords can take before you hurt yourself.

Shouting and Yelling: Many choral directors will admonish their students to avoid shouting and yelling at football games and rightly so. Shouting and yelling is like punching your vocal cords. As an alternative, you can project your voice healthily and create just as loud a sound as when people shout or yell. The difference is control; rather than creating a louder sound using muscular effort, amplify the sound by resonating. A quick trick is to simply focus your sound into the mask of your face, which is located below the eyes, on the nose, and in the cheek areas. Support your sound. I suggest practicing a deep and brilliant “Get ‘em,” and other healthy cheers if you find yourself losing your voice often after sporting events.

Hoarseness and Raspiness: Often symptoms of severe vocal swelling are accompanied by hoarseness or raspiness. If you cannot speak or sing without sounding in pain, then you could cause permanent damage to your voice if you continue. With long term raspiness, you may need to work with a health specialist in order to learn how to avoid vocal stress.

Bleeding: Along with hoarseness, symptoms of bleeding or bruised vocal cords include a sudden loss of vocal range, and an inability to sing quietly or hold a pitch steady. The pain may or may not be more severe than vocal swelling. Only a specialist will be able to determine if your cords are bleeding, but either way you will need to rest your voice or risk permanent damage. Treatment in rare cases includes surgery, but most often medications, rest, and speech therapy. Any time your voice suddenly changes, see a specialist.

Children: Many a preadolescent voice has been ruined by misuse and abuse. Children aim to please and under a great deal of pressure may sing when they should not. Therefore, be particularly protective of young voices. To encourage a child to sing in pain for a moment of glory only to lose the use of their voice for the rest of their lives is simply not worth it.