Often after having a cold or upper respiratory infection, the vocal cords can become swollen, commonly known as laryngitis. When this happens, the muscles around the larynx (paralaryngeal muscles) and neck muscles engage when you vocalize. These muscles are not typically used for voice production, but to compensate for laryngitis, they begin to participate in voice support.
Learn how throat pain following a recent illness can be associated with muscle tension dysphonia (MTD).