Click when swallowing

Hello,

I was wondering if someone could help me.  For a few weeks now I have this click in my throat when I swallow.  Not when I am drinking water or eating, but just during normal swallowing.  It doesn't click when my head is down or up, but it clicks when I am looking straight.  If I put my fingers just above adams apple I can feel a click.

Please help me to identify what it could be.

Thank you,
B

[blk133]

It has been 9 days since I made my post and not one response.  Was it just ignored or no one knows what it could be?

[Nancy T]

I'm sure it's that no one has felt able to tell you what it might be or offer advice. It's frustrating to post and not get any responses (I've had that happen to me many times), but sometimes people really just don't know, especially about unusual symptoms. Please don't feel ignored.

Also remember this particular forum (ENT) is not an official ask-the-doctor forum where a doctor looks at and answers all questions. I do see there's one or two doctors posting here, as well as an audiologist, but they probably didn't know what to say either. Also, they may not be reading every question (everyone is limited in their time), only ones that pop out at them as ones they might be able to be helpful with.

I have no clue what could be causing your click. Try asking your doctor at your next visit (unless it's something that is hurting or really bothering you, in which case ask sooner), and ask for a referral to an ENT if the doctor can't help you.

Another thing you might try is reposting your question more specifically, i.e., "Click in throat when swallowing," in case someone sees it who knows more about throat issues but didn't open your question because they assumed it was a click in your ear. Might not make any difference--but you never know!

Best of luck,
Nancy T. (not a health professional)

[blk133]

Thank you very much for you response and suggestions Nancy!

[Enoch Choi, MD]

yeah, Nancy's right, I'm a doc and wouldn't be able to guess what that click is from.  Ask your doc to look down there with a mirror

An ENT has a laryngoscope that they can use to look down there

[blk133]

It has been more than 7 month and I still have this click, I went to ENT, did a video swallowing test and my ENT said that everything is fine.  I had tonsilectomy 2 weeks prior the click started and I feel that this click is the after cause of the surgery.  Of course ENT will say that everything is fine, because he is the one that did the surgery...  I keep touching my wind tunnel and pushing it with my fingers to the right, something clicks, then after I swallow next few times there is no click and then it comes back again.  Very tired of this clicking sound...  Don't know if it ever will go away.

[Nancy T]

Bummer... sorry you still have this. Why not get a second opinion from another ENT?

Nancy T.

[jilldai]

I am with you. blk133, I sent you an email. I have the same thing.  If anyone reads this and can help me and blk133, so be it. Where is HOUSE when you need him?

[jilldai]

Sorry Ignore last post here is the oneI have seen three ENT's. I have had MRI contrast-negative, CT contrast-negative, and three laryngoscopies-all

negative. I will be doing ok for a few days (small amount of clicking and no pains) then I will have days where I

have the clicking, occipital headache on the affected side, pain deep in the neck where the clicking is (in the

triangle of the neck region at the level of Adams apple and below jaw), twinges of pain to my ear, jaw, and

sometimes teeth. This is all on the same side that is clicking, the right side. I have had no trauma to the neck, no

tonsils removed or surgeries. You mean no one in the medical field knows what is going on? This is crazy. The

third ENT I saw is a professor at a medical school. I am really frustrated and at a loss.

[milwaukee]

I have the same problem and will see a specialist next week.

I didn't have any surgery in the area but I think I had an infection in the throat which caused high fever last year. It is all fine until recently I noticed the clicking when swallowing.

[cindy903]

I have it now too. In addition, when I turn my head to the left or nod up and down a click occurs in the middle of my shoulders and the top of my neck near my head.

Going to an ENT.

I read that this unusual symptom was treated successfully at UCLA by a team of surgeons who took it on. They cured every person! They trimmed down bone fragments where it had been shattered during one surgery and thryoid muscle was trimmed for another. They had to isolate the clicking sound before performing the surgury. What lucky folks to have found a cure!

[blk133]

Good luck!  Keep us (clickers) posted

[cindy903]

An excellent ENT believes it's STRESS related similar to globulus histericus or some such thing. Interestingly, after being reassured it went away for the rest of the day.

Did the test down the nose, which must be their gold standard test for ENT docs. He is excellent and has an excellent bedside manner. He really listened and has the gift of persuasion as well. I'm hopeful that it is stress.

Dinner time was frustrating as heck though so I'm not so sure. He said see him in two months as a follow up to the syndrome but he's so popular I can't get in until January 09. Maybe I'll be cured. Either way, he wants to see me. "Clicky Throat Saga" to be continued...

[cindy903]

Click still there. Going to have ultrasound on thyroid tomorrow.

Bet it's not related.

Recently diagnosed with Lyme.

I bet it's related to that. My neck snaps, crackles and pops and since my esophogus is near my neck, well, it just joined in the fun.

[blk133]

:(  I thought he cured you by telling you that it was stress.  I was told that it could be a thyroid that's causing this click as well, but I never checked it.  
Let us know your results...

[cindy903]

Results of thyroid NORMAL!  I was hoping that was it -- even though I hate bad news, I'd take it over not knowing why I awakened one day to not only neck popping like mad, but my throat!

I believe the ENT that said it was "throat crepitus" or globulus hystericus. It turns out is is most likely crepitus At least globulus hystericus is curable. My clicky throat is possibly related to what was later a diagnosis of Lyme. Am still seeking answers regarding LD and hopefully with the right treatment the "crepitus" will resolve in my throat and neck as well.

It ain't pleasant this throat click thing. Popcorn does not go down very smoothly!

[blk133]

Hey Cindy,
how's your click?  Is it any better?  About 4 days ago my sholder started to hurt and my wife asked me to take advil, so for a 3 days in a row I was taking 2 pills in the morning, I think when I take Advil my throat doesn't click as often.  It doesn't disappear completely, it still clicks here and there, but not as much.  Do you mind taking Advil for a few days in a row and see if it helps you as well?

[cindy903]

I can try Advil. If it's an NSAID, I'm not surprised it works. Will let you know.

I am being treated for LD afterall. Bummer diagnosis since there's no cure.

[wildblue98]

Your problems sound exactly similar to mine, I have been diagnosed with a larngeal abnormality after an injury in which the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage is rubbing against the hyoid bone, I had occipital headache, jaw and ear pain and crepitus when I rotate or press in on my throat, clicking with swallowing is a treatable condition if you search the medical literature, I am actually getting surgery at UCLA for this condition. See the forum on hyoid bone problems on this site and you will see a plethora of information regarding your possible conditions, what doctors know, and how to treat.

[Thndr800]

Exact same thing for me blk133.  I also had my tonsils out and now I notice this annoying clicking on my right side.  I've been experiencing all the same symptoms.  Clicking when swallowing saliva but not eating or drinking.  Seems more prominent when my head it turned to the right instead of left. MY ENT who performed the surgury seems to feel that it's the Hyoid bone rubbing against a gland or tendon but could not answer why other than an automical abnormality.  I was taking Tylenol and it seemed to help a little as well. A couple of drinks also seems to relieve the symptoms 99% but always comes back the next morning. Guess I'll have to stay drunk!! I also found solutions on a couple of other sites  that I will try.  One sufferer said that she tried favoring the side that did not hurt for a week while swallowing and the pain went away after about a week. I guess it's the analogy of staying off a sprained ankle to let it heal. The other person performed neck excercises recommended by a physiologist.  He said the excercises completely resolved the clicking after 4 days of excercising.  Too bad he didn't leave instructions.  Anyway I'll let you know how I make out.  Please let me know if any of you come across other solutions or things that may have worked for you.

Good luck

[cindy903]

I think it's annoying as &*(%. It sort of comes and goes, but mostly is here to stay. UCLA will do some kind of outpatient procedure that cures it.

My click is like a thump. Or it feels like my esophagus is too narrow to swallow.

Maybe it's the Lyme. You know the disease that doesn't exist, and there is no cure or test to confirm it.

My neck clicks whenever it's turned as well. Sometimes my jaw clicks making eating noisy.

[wildblue98]

i know its so annoying ruining my life

[wildblue98]

I am also wondering if this clicking in the throat with head rotation can effect the jaw positioning because my jaw started clicking ocassionally  too ever since I got this and its hard to yawn

[pinkydinkydoo89]

hello...yea tmd (or as most people call it tmj which is only the bone rather than the actual condition)...well yea it *****.
i got my wisdom teeth cut out almost 1 1/2 ago and the left side of my jaw has been popping ever since. every time i open my mouth it pops...kinda hurts but i would say the migraines are worse. i get 2 almost every month. i lose all of my periphial vision in my left eye each time for about an hour before the actual migraine...it really *****
if you havent seen an ent you should

best of luck :)

[blk133]

I don't have any problems with my jaw so far, it's the person above your post has it.  But I still have the click in my throat.  Now that I've seen some images of throat on the internet I can tell that my click is right where they hyoid bone is.

[wildblue98]

Interesting I also had a pretty radical wisdom teeth procedure done a couple years ago under general anasthesia they went in and cut out all four fully impacted teeth, dont know if that has something to do with it. Thanks for the info.

[wildblue98]

The clicking above the adams apple may be an  elongated or displaced superior cornu thryoid cartilage rubbing on the hyoid/transverse process thats what it was for me and it showed up on nuetral head turn CT scan. Hope that helps.

[blk133]

so after you found out about the displaced superior corn........  what did you do about it?  I mean your click is still there, can doctors do something?  Yesterday I went to the dentist and after she did the shot to make my lower right side of the jaw numb that "drug" made all my muscles in the throat very tight, it even was hard to swallow, but while my teeth, bottom lip and tongue were numb, the click wasn't there.  Go figure...

[wildblue98]

Well in my case the problem is from an elongated supeior cornu hitting the transverse process ( it is usually and elongated cornu hitting the hyoid or transverse process that creates this throat click), the surgeons think they can fix and have fixed it in the past  by trimming off the end of my superior cornu so it is not comming in contact with the transverse process. It makes sense that the clicking might stop temporarily from increased muscular tension, I too have noticed that. Thats because the tense muscles help hold the cornu in position temporarily. But its been over a year and my click is still there so I just decided to go ahead with the surgery since it is a very structurally apparent problem. I think the surgeons are right and once those two structures stop hitting eachother the clicking and inflammation will subside.  The only people I have found who know a lot about this condition are at UCLA. I also know their is a team in Utah, and a doctor in Swansea, Wales with published research on a displaced cornu. Hope this helps.

[pinkydinkydoo89]

o ok. i see . sry

[chizzad]

Hello,
       I am having very similar symptons,  was wondering if you had any more info on the team in Utah?  Names which hospital would be very appreciated!!

[OuchStomach]

I have all this too! Plz help!  Started 3 weeks ago after a minor cold.  A click/pop/thump when I swallow.  Not all the time and usually spit swallowing only.  Seems to happen when my adam's apple is at its highest on a swallow.  I also feel like there is something in my throat on the right side.  No ear pain, no jaw pain....but my tongue gets a little weird sensation.

I was in a car accident 4 years ago where my head went through a windshield, but this is new to me.  I recently had a cold, and I think my lymph node on the right side under my chin is a little swollen (could be from cold).

Very scary.  I read about this popping above the adam's apple and the big bad C word came back.  Going to ENT tomorrow, I hope they give me the same results as everyone else thats its nothing, or something simple and easy to treat.

[lilly945]

I found this and it helped right away!!

"Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
when you feel the clicking get the palm of you hand rest it on your cheek (same side as the click) and gently pull your facial skin / muscles upwars towards your ear. Do it in a way that your palm runs up along your jaw line.

Other than that see what your chiro says"
1 month ago

[unlazyboy285]

I have this too!  Except mine comes with a few other symptoms.  I only have it on the right side of my throat and it only happens when my head is turned a certain way.  My right lung also hurts sometimes, and I have so get strange headaches on random parts of only the right side of my head, as well as pain in my right trapezium.  Any help is greatly appreciated!

[silvercat1]

Part 1 of 2.

I also have similar click swallow (and some other) symptoms as some of the posters especially blk133 and cindy903 and wildblue98, thndr800, jilldai. The symptoms have significantly ruined the quality of my life since early 2007. So far, I have not been able to find a definitive diagnosis or a cure or reduce or control the symptoms. I can fully empathise with the posters who have this or a similar condition and welcome those who would wish to swap experiences, ideas, partial or full remedies.  I would love to know of anyone who has obtained a confident diagnosis and cure.  I am new to the post so have not seen many of the posts except the thread starting from blk133’s post starting from Dec 1 2007.

Symptoms present:
Click on dry swallow, that fades or disappears on second, third swallow.
Sometimes the click is still noticeable when swallowing liquid or solid food.
When the click has gone after a swallow, the click can be made to return with significant magnitude immediately after clearing throat or a hard cough (to clear throat) and immediate dry swallowing (dry swallowing = with no food/liquid except saliva).
Very mild dull pain a second after swallowing – pain located in the upper oesophagus.
Some feeling of aspiration of fluid? at entrance of windpipe causing occasional need to clear throat, cough. After coughing, click swallow can be abrupt.
Sensation of something stuck in lower throat (below Adam’s apple and level with where the neck joins the chest, and a feeling of something stuck in the upper part of the oesophagus).  
Occasional production of phlegm but not frequent.
Dry retching. The globus sensation of something stuck is not always present but when present, causes periods of retching to the point of violent choking. The retching episodes are short bursts of a few seconds and can occur once or several times a day, but not every day. The retching frequency slowly builds up over a period of several weeks where the frequency of retching maximises then subsides after violent retching.

I cannot correlate the throat click or the globus sensation or retching with anxiety for these symptoms can occur with significant intensity at times of reduced exposure to stress, e.g. when on holiday, doing pleasurable leisure activities, resting.

Symptoms absent: (I include “symptoms absent” here because it may help doctors and other readers to eliminate potential conditions rather than just indicating the existing symptoms): Heartburn, indigestion, burning sensations from acid reflux [if acid reflux is present, it has to be silent reflux.  Several months of PPI have no effect, whether I take them or not. On that basis, I would have thought if acid reflux was the cause of the symptoms, PPI would have curbed or eliminated it, but they haven’t.  A hiatus hernia was observed but both nocturnal and daytime (upright) abrupt liquid reflux is absent].
Weight loss absent.  Regurgitation absent. Sore throat and bad breath absent.
No evidence of acid reflux effects on teeth confirmed by dentist (although not a 100% diagnostic indicator of the absence of acid reflux).

The click swallow started after a gastroscopy (oesophagogastroduodenoscopy OGD) in Mar 2007. During the procedure, under normal sedation, I started to choke on the scope fully inserted. This was not the normal gagging reflex expected of some people having an OGD but rather a violent choking. Whilst on the table choking, I was knocked out completely with an additional, heavy dose of sedation.  I awoke later in the recovery ward.  It was not a case of amnesia of me “thinking” I had been knocked out because I couldn’t remember, - the additional mid procedure heavy dose of sedation was stated on the report.  I’ve had the click swallow ever since.  The purpose of the OGD was to look for the presence of a foreign object in my throat causing retching.  I had suspected a tooth brush bristle because my tooth brush had been loosing a few bristles and a couple had got caught in my mouth whilst cleaning teeth. I thought that an unnoticed bristle may have been partially swallowed and became lodged in the larynx or oesophagus as this retching came on suddenly overnight. No bristle was found though a colourless bristle is quite a small object to see.

Prior to the OGD, two months earlier, I had swallowed a small piece of soft cooked chicken.  Severe painful stomach spasm hiccups started which resulted in vomiting colourless fluids over a period of several hours.  I rested and recovered over the next 1-2 weeks.  10 days later, retching started suddenly and unexpectedly and took me by surprise. This lead to the OGD two months later after 2 months of intermittent retching where at times I was frantic with the sensation of something stuck and causing involuntary retching.

I have found a number of medical papers that indicate arytenoid dislocation and subluxation (AS) as rare laryngeal injuries usually thought to occur as complications of upper aerodigestive tract instrumentation.  One of the posters to this forum referred to corniculate subluxation. “Arytenoid dislocation refers to complete separation of the arytenoid cartilage from the joint space.  It usually results from severe laryngeal trauma. Arytenoid subluxation is likely a lesser injury and refers to partial displacement of the arytenoid within the joint.”  Patients with AS present with hoarseness; breathy vocal quality, vocal fatigue. But dysphagia, odynophagia, sore throat and cough are less common. (ref  Arytenoid Dislocation.  Joshua S Schindler, Yvette V Leslie, Jan 27, 2007. http://www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/866464). Unfortunately since I obtained this document, the link I provide doesn’t seem to work directly to the paper itself but takes you to the proper web site. Searching it from the web site given the authors and title resulted in a registration page.

see part 2

[silvercat1]

Part 2 of 2.
Although I have been seen by an ENT earlier in the year, I am unsure whether such subluxations/dislocations can be seen with a visible ENT nasendoscope - (if that’s the cause of my click swallow?) – can anyone say? The paper referenced above indicates that a thorough laryngeal exam should be performed. Whether the ENT’s “less than 15 second view”, would be regarded as thorough I am unsure – perhaps someone could say to compare?  In my view, although disappointing because I myself put a lot of dedication and detail into my own work as a scientist, this particular ENT’s body language told me he wasn’t interested and he said he couldn’t do anything for the click, then sent me on my way to continue with the debilitating symptoms.  

I do have some hoarseness but it is intermittent, possibly related to coughing (and all my life I have never been a cougher except for during colds/flu and even then it was limited). But I am told by relatives and friends that my voice has changed to a more gravely sound, although this may be because on those occasions when they listen, the throat needs to be cleared frequently and the sound may be due to interference from fluids/secretions that need to be moved out of the way of the vocal chords?

The other paper which describes a cause of foreign body sensation in the throat is “ Foreign body sensation in the throat due to displacement of the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage: two cases and a literature review”  SK Nadig, S Uppal, GW Back, AP Coatsworth, AR Grace. J. Laryngol Otol, 2006 July; 120 (7): 608-9. Epub 2006 May 9.  I only have the abstract of this paper, which is available free on the internet.
Search at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12649827.  I intend to buy the paper.

There is another relevant paper, which I do not have except for the abstract:
Clicking in the throat: cinematic fiction or surgical fact?
Smith ME, Berke GS, Gray SD, Dove H, Harnsberger R.
Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, National Center for Voice and Speech, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.   Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001 Sep;127(9):1129-31.


I have also come across a paper which describes a physical cause of globus pharyngeus where the epiglottis tip is curled backward towards and touches the base of the back of the tongue causing the sensation of a foreign body.   Earlier this year, I first noticed my epiglottis sometimes becomes visible above the horizon made by the back of the tongue. This sometimes appears when clearing the throat but before swallowing. On swallowing, there is a click then the epiglottis disappears.  I don’t know if I am choking on my own epiglottis or if it is unrelated. I only started seeing the epiglottis two years after the problems began and I had been looking into my throat since Jan 2007 and had never noticed the epiglottis before.  Does anyone know if it is possible for an epiglottis to become stretched or dislodged from its normal “equilibrium” location as a result of a problem (such as dislocation) of the structures in the larynx that are eventually connected to the epiglottis?  I don’t know if the epiglottis can eventually start to appear due to arytenoid subluxation or corniculate cartilage subluxation?


For me, the two problems may be related or unrelated: Click swallow has been present all the time since the gastroscopy in early 2007.  
Sensation of something stuck in the lower throat/and or beginning of the oesophagus or trachea occurs intermittently, and can cause periods of debilitating retching and choking.

Some questions to ask readers or to provoke further discussion and sharing of knowledge:

1. Is it possible that the click swallow has been caused by the throat clamping down on the gastroscope during the difficult gastroscopy? or, the retching?
2. Can a gastroscopy which involves choking actually cause a hiatus hernia e.g. caused by pumping air into the stomach causing abrupt rises in stomach pressure due to choking and coughing during the procedure? I ask this question because I did not have a hiatus hernia at all 14 months before the gastroscopy so it had just occurred in that interim period or during that one bout of vomiting or during the gastroscopy?
3. Is it possible that for a patient taking PPI, that acid reflux can still occur but yet not cause any indigestion or heartburn or burning feelings, but that such acid could cause oesophageal spasm that could be the cause of click swallow? My personal feeling is that PPI should completely halt acid reflux and pH would be controlled such that if any tiny amount of acid leaked during the night, its pH would not be so aggressive to cause oesophageal spasm interfering with the swallowing contractions. I want to rule out acid reflux as a potential cause of click swallow. Personally, I believe my click swallow is a mechanical physical problem with one or more cartilages in the larynx.

I have found bronchial mixture to be of some temporary relief of throat sensations. However, this is probably due to the temporary local anaesthetic effect, which after it wears off, symptoms are still present.

I wish all those who have click swallow, good luck in finding remedies. I’d be interested to hear from you.

I have needed to put this post into two parts, but thought that the references provided would be of use.

[wildblue98]

I find your medical information very interesting as I recently underwent surgery at UCLA for a clicking noise in my throat. In my case the clicking in the throat was occuring every time I turned my head and was from the elongation of the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage. The very article you intend to read: Clicking in the throat: cinematic fiction or surgical fact?
Smith ME, Berke GS, Gray SD, Dove H, Harnsberger R.
Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, National Center for Voice and Speech, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA.   Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001 Sep;127(9):1129-31.

Well, believe it or not my surgeon was one of the authors in this article who is familiar with the clicking throat condition. In my case they were able to get rid of the clicking of the thryoid cartilage against the tranverse process every time I turned my head, unfortunately I also have a clicking greater cornua of the hyoid bone that must be operated on now. I find your case interesting though because it reminds me a lot of the sufferers in the "clicking throat article" who had their symptoms come on from surgical intubation. It sounds like you very well may have injured part of your thyroid cartilage which is clicking against a nearby structure either the hyoid bone or tranverse process. There are other things that could cause a click it really depends on the region you are feeling it but from what I have read in the medical literature it seems that clicks from swallowing are most common due to thyroid cartilage abnormalities rubbing against the hyoid bone or tranverse process. The way you describe the onset of yours reminds me of the elongated superior cornua thyroid cartilage sufferers mentioned in the "clicking throat study". If you provide me an email address (message me) and I will be glad to email you the article I have it saved on my computer.

[wildblue98]

For me, the two problems may be related or unrelated: Click swallow has been present all the time since the gastroscopy in early 2007.  
Sensation of something stuck in the lower throat/and or beginning of the oesophagus or trachea occurs intermittently, and can cause periods of debilitating retching and choking.

Clicking in throat is often times accompanied by foriegn body sensation in the same area. This is extensively documented in the medical literature.

[paladinx5]

I have had a throat click for quite some time. its like a clicking sound almost like bones are bumping together it is painless.  I can also swallow and not make the click.  I dont feel anything really.   it has not really bothered me so I have just ignored it.  its almost like I can control whether it clicks or not.   I have a feeling its probably something harmless something with the bones and cartilage of the atoms apple rubbing together

[wildblue98]

There are some abnormalities that can cause "clicking" in the neck and face. One of the most common is temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction. This is a problem of the jaw joint that can cause jaw, ear, and neck pain. From the history given, this is not likely here. The hyoid can also cause a neck click. This was evaluated with a CT that showed normal hyoid anatomy by report. One more cause is the thyroid cartilage (the main cartilage of the larynx) rubbing against the cervical vertebrae. Usually, it is the superior cornu (horn) that rubs against the transverse process of the cervical vertebra. During normal swallow, the larynx is lifted towards the back of the tongue. This is when the "click" happens. It can be hard to detect, especially if not suspected first. The cartilage is hard to see on x-rays (and in swallow studies with fluoroscopy), because it is not usually calcified at it's superior end. It could have been caused by trauma to the larynx. A CT can sometimes show a posteriorly displaced superior cornu. It can be treated by surgically removing the displaced piece of cartilage. An otolaryngologist with interest in swallow dysfunction (sometimes with specific training in laryngology--voice problems) may be able to help. Again, it can be hard to prove that this is what is causing the click. Any surgeon should be cautious about going to surgery without a definitive diagnosis, and the patient must be prepared to have a procedure that may not help the problem.


Michael J Wolfe, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati

[nucleardave]

I've had a similar click in the throat when swallowing for almost 20 years now. Over the years I've seen a few different ENTs who have all told me it is nothing to worry about. It still bothers me somewhat, but not as bad as it used to - I think I've gotten used to it, kind of had to.

In my case, it clicks on the left side when I swallow unless I turn my head to the left or tip my head way back - if I turn my head to the right or tip my head down, the click is even worse.

Mine started after I had a really bad sore throat, but who knows, that may have just been a coincidence.

Since I've had it for ~20 years, I know it isn't anything too serious, it hasn't gotten noticeably worse, but I'd still like it to go away.

If anyone else is able to cure this (ideally without surgery) I would be very interested in how (even if it was surgery).

[esssf]

Hi wildblue98, i am having this problem to it is above my adams apple near the top of my throat you can say.

Everytime i swollow this clicking is here and ever since it came i started getting tonsilitus so i went to the ENT and he told me it was probally the tonsils causing it..

Moving on.. he told me to get my tonsils out so i did but the clicing is still here what  can i do about this im getting worried i think theirs something wrong in my throat please get back to me.


By the way ive seen 3 ENT`S and they told me its nothing to worry about but the thing that concerns me is ever since this clicking started i started getting tonsilitis all the time now my tonsils are out its still here (THE CLICKING)

[esssf]

I also forgot to mention when i drink water, etc it doesn`t click but now i am getting worried about this because i no their is somethng wrong COULD SOMEONE REPLY ANY1.

[wildblue98]

There are some abnormalities that can cause "clicking" in the neck and face. One of the most common is temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction. This is a problem of the jaw joint that can cause jaw, ear, and neck pain. From the history given, this is not likely here. The hyoid can also cause a neck click. This was evaluated with a CT that showed normal hyoid anatomy by report. One more cause is the thyroid cartilage (the main cartilage of the larynx) rubbing against the cervical vertebrae. Usually, it is the superior cornu (horn) that rubs against the transverse process of the cervical vertebra. During normal swallow, the larynx is lifted towards the back of the tongue. This is when the "click" happens. It can be hard to detect, especially if not suspected first. The cartilage is hard to see on x-rays (and in swallow studies with fluoroscopy), because it is not usually calcified at it's superior end. It could have been caused by trauma to the larynx. A CT can sometimes show a posteriorly displaced superior cornu. It can be treated by surgically removing the displaced piece of cartilage. An otolaryngologist with interest in swallow dysfunction (sometimes with specific training in laryngology--voice problems) may be able to help. Again, it can be hard to prove that this is what is causing the click. Any surgeon should be cautious about going to surgery without a definitive diagnosis, and the patient must be prepared to have a procedure that may not help the problem.
There are some abnormalities that can cause "clicking" in the neck and face. One of the most common is temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction. This is a problem of the jaw joint that can cause jaw, ear, and neck pain. From the history given, this is not likely here. The hyoid can also cause a neck click. This was evaluated with a CT that showed normal hyoid anatomy by report. One more cause is the thyroid cartilage (the main cartilage of the larynx) rubbing against the cervical vertebrae. Usually, it is the superior cornu (horn) that rubs against the transverse process of the cervical vertebra. During normal swallow, the larynx is lifted towards the back of the tongue. This is when the "click" happens. It can be hard to detect, especially if not suspected first. The cartilage is hard to see on x-rays (and in swallow studies with fluoroscopy), because it is not usually calcified at it's superior end. It could have been caused by trauma to the larynx. A CT can sometimes show a posteriorly displaced superior cornu. It can be treated by surgically removing the displaced piece of cartilage. An otolaryngologist with interest in swallow dysfunction (sometimes with specific training in laryngology--voice problems) may be able to help. Again, it can be hard to prove that this is what is causing the click. Any surgeon should be cautious about going to surgery without a definitive diagnosis, and the patient must be prepared to have a procedure that may not help the problem.

(I think this answer from the below MD applies to essf and nuclear dave)

Michael J Wolfe, MD
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati

If you have clicking in your throat the best surgeon I know for problems in this area is Dr. Gerald Berke Chief Surgeon of Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA medical center. He operated on me and cured a click I had every time I turned my head that was due to an elongation of the superior cornu thyroid cartilage. If it really bothers you I would seek treatment.

[esssf]

Thank you so much for replying to me what i was wondering is this life threatening by any chance it really worries me, when i turn my neck, right the clicking wouldn`t be their its only their when my head is straight and when i turn my head left.

Its basically where the hyoid bone is.

Thanks again for taking time to reply to me much appreciated.

[batlife]

Ive had this for five months.. Been 2 ENT's n they havent found anything.. My throat started clicking after extreme pain while yawning.. i felt like i tore something..My voice has chnged also.. im not able to sing, whisper.. i also feel like im tlking out of the right side of the mouth.. the click is in the left side of my throat.. everyone thinks its mental..  is it possible tht i damaged my laryngeal nerve.. because im also having trouble breathing.. im lost with this

[silvercat1]

Hi
Don't know what it could be, but seeing as it started suddenly coinciding with some physically traumatic event (the painful yawning), I can't see how anyone can say it is mental.  It annoys me how people can label se easily without considering or knowing of all the relevant facts. From the forums I've read, even some ENT's suggest psychogenic/psychosomatic causes for various problems in the throat in the absence of seeing anything from a visual exam. Yet, in many of the cases I've seen, they seem to coincide with an event that involved some kind of trauma. I don't mean mental trauma, but rather, physical trauma where the potential for temporary of permanent changes in the physical structures might have occurred. E.g. a change from a normal throat environment to another environment where strucures now touch, or rub against each other, causing sensations that were not there before. Who knows, frictional rubbing might cause irritation that wasn't there before, etc etc.

When you go about a leg injury to a sports person, or a physiotherapist, how many times have you ever heard them say, "I can't see the injury in your knee joint, therefore I'm concluding that it is "in your head" it's mental"?  I would bet NEVER.  So why do some ENT make suggestions of mental causes?  

There may be some unique symptoms associated with laryngeal nerve damage, and if so, if these were not present, it might help to rule out laryngeal nerve damage. Some doctors might say.  I'm not a doctor but I would guess or assume that larygeal nerve damage is unlikely without severe trauma to the larynx. Wildblue is good for knowledge and he may well answer your question much better than me.

I assume you asked that question to the 2 ENT you saw?

Some speech or voice coaches might be able to answer your question and also help to provide some exercises that might help.

A recent friend had her neck badly strained and she had mentioned a technique called Bowen technique or treatment. I don't know what it involves, but I think it was of some benefit to her on a previous occasion unrelated to her neck and she is considering having same treatment on her neck.

There could be a number of reasons for changed voice, but one condition that I have read recently which involves a hoarse voice, is arytenoid dislocation. But I think that this can be seen on a normal ENT exam, so the ENT's have probably ruled that out.

[esssf]

I remember the day this clicking had appeared 7 months ago.

Ever since this clicking appeared i starterd to get sore and tonsilituss atleast 2 times a month at some stages i was forced to go in hospital because i couldnt swollow.

Moving on i saw Atleast 4 ENT`s and 2 of them told me it was possible that the tonsils are causing it because they are inflamed, another 1 and said it could be something to do with my voice box but i havn`t noticed any change in my voice what so ever. Finally the final 1 had said to me its all in my head and to me that was out of order because the clicking is really going on.

Soo, i went back to the same ENT and he had said to me he will arange foirr me to get my tonsils out.....

19th of november 2009 i had the surgery (2 weeks ago) The clicking is still here and has only got worse.

I don`t know what to do no more it is ruining my life and im sick and tied of these ENT`s because the way they act in terms of body language i can clearly see they don`t give  a shi*....

The only thing that worried me was when it started i started getting tonsillitis.

Any ideas.

Thankyou Essa.

[esssf]

The question above is to anyone that knows anything please get back to me Thanks.

[silvercat1]

Essa

I cant understand why an ENT would suggest tonsils as a cause of clicking. They are soft tissue, so it's hard to understand how a click could occur on swallow. Perhaps unless the tonsils were so swollen and enlarged that the swallow mechanism results in the tonsils being squeezed with the "sensation" of a click happening. Or they contained tonsiloliths making them more firmer?

When I read your note on getting tonsils out, I would have said don't. But, you have had a lot of tonsilitis from what you say and some ENT would say remove them whilst others would say don't, they are a defense mechanism. But if they are so over worked, then to avoid further infections, some may suggest removing them.

It seems only 2 weeks ago since surgery so your body may not have settled down yet. There may still be some swellings.

One thing i can say is that when we develop these things, we tend to become hypervigilant - what I mean by that is, start to notice sensations that were always there but your subsconscious ignores those sensations and treats them as normal body functions. Then we start focussing on the throat and perhaps start to wonder, was that squelchy noise or gurgle there before or has it just started now?

The click is truly there in you and yes, I've had the body language from one ENT who I thought could have had a better bed side manner.

Perhaps take it step by step. Allow time for your body to settle after surgery, so that that variable is removed. Then see what the magnitude of the click is like then.

I agree about it ruining your life, the symtoms (symptoms) I have developed (retching, globus, click swallow) have ruined parts of my life because it can be debilitating - especially retching and globus which sometimes makes me feel close to retching.  Perhaps try to focus on something complteley different. Give your mind and body a rest and force yourself to do some leisure activities so that it will distract you from concentrating on the sensations, where you might? develop a desensitisation to the sensations.  Think like when you have a headache, or pain in a joint - we don't usually focus on it, but we accept that they are there, then take painkillers or not, then later, headache is gone and days later, you might say, oh, that joint ache has gone now, I had forgotten I had that. May be a try?

[esssf]

silvercat1,

Thankyou for your quick reply.

I mean my thorat has completely healed i can swollow and everything looks ok however to me this clicking has only got worse i mean if i turn my head left or keep it striaght the clicking will be there whenever i swollow.
Now if i turn my head left, upwards, down the clicking wouldn`t be there.

Personally me i think it is something to do with my hyoid bone reason for that is because the clicking goggling sound is basically where the hyoid bone is.

The thing that had me worried, (as i explained before) Ever since this started i started to get alot of infections on my tonsils so the ENT dicided to remove them as i kept getting tonsillitis and white patches on the back of them.

I did question him before the surgery and i asked him what do you think is causing the clicking he had replied by saying that it could be inflammation.

ENT 2: had said it could be something to do with my voicebox this was when i had been taking in to hospital due to the white patches on the back of the tonsils.

ENT 3: had said its nothing to worry about its just all in your head which i found out of order.

I mean i am going to book another appointment with my G.P and arrange for him to send me to another ENT for the 5th time, this time i am actually going to have a go at them.

As you said i should keep my mind of it by doing activities. I go to the gym 5 times a week and study so my mind is of it what i want to know is do you think it is anything to worry aboout?

Thanks for replying to my other question hope to here from you soon.

Essa,

[esssf]

By the way i am a young Male 18 years old and im stuck with this.

I just don`t know anymore.

[wildblue98]

While statistically speaking just from combing through medical literature looks like the two most likely things a click in the throat would be the superior cornu of the thyroid cartilage rubbing against your tranverse process, thesuperior cornu of the thyroid cartilage rubbing against the hyoid, or the hyoid greater cornua rubbing against the transverse process. You say yours comes from swallowing? Read the above post from the doctor I posted earlier in this forum it really addresses the click in the throat issue your tonsils probably had nothing to do with it at all, I talked to a hyoid click patient who had both tonsils, and his styloid process taken out before they could figure out it was his hyoid bone causing the clicking.

[esssf]

Thanks for replying wildblue98.

Is this something life threatening and what do you think would have to be done for this to go away?

Much appreciated for replying thnaks

Essa.

[silvercat1]

Essa

The notes wildblue are good and informative. I came across an abstract of a medical paper, as follows:

"Corniculate cartilage subluxation is a pathology that has not been reported in the medical literature. Causing vague pharyngeal symptoms, this disease entity may be overlooked or misdiagnosed as chronic nonspecific pharyngitis, globus pharyngis, or laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. A careful laryngoscopic examination is the key to detect this disorder. In this article, we present a 45-year-old patient with the complaints of foreign-body sensation in the throat, difficulty in swallowing solid food, and an urge to turn his head toward the left during the act of swallowing. His laryngeal examination revealed corniculate cartilage subluxation, and excision of the subluxated cartilage was performed by microlaryngoscopic surgery. The patient was free of his symptoms immediately after the operation and remained as such in the 6 months of follow-up. (Am J Otolaryngol 2003;24:118-120."

I think that one of the processes decribed by wildblu is the same thing as described in the above abstract, though I'm not sure, Wildblu could confirm this "corniculate cartilage subluxation" as the same as what wildblu describes?  I don't actually know what subluxation is, I haven't found a definition.

From what I have read so far, the clicking swallow is not life threatening, just in the same way that many bones in the body create clicks and noises such as in the knuckles, or knees, its not life threatening, so try not to worry. I know you're looking for reassurance and being young, you probably feel vulnerable and genuinely need to be reassurred to help settle you so you can concentrate on daily life.

I note that you do jym 5 days/week. Just a thought but it may be that your physical routines have caused some movements of the structures in your throat. But there are some voice coaches who suggests exercises for physical causes of globus pharyngeus, so physical activity may be a good thing. But, I suppose it needs to be in moderation.  If you message me, I can send you a file that I saved from a UK NHS web site on exercises for globus pharyngeus. You haven't got globus, but it could be of interest to see the sorts of things they suggest doing, one of which was to yawn, so that can't be harmful. It may be that such execrcises might? help moving the structrures that cause clicking (wildblu and I in agreement on the cartilages causing the clicks) such that they do not impact? Wildblu might be able to say whether that is a possibility simply from exercise?

When you go to see the ENT, consider asking about whether they can refer you to a voice speech therapist who might be able to help. I am considering this myself. I'm also asking my doc for CT and/or MRI scans to look at the cartilages in the larynx - whether I can persuade him, I'll have to see.  Wildblu has a good paper which describes some causes of clicking throat together with some CT scans that show one cause of the click.

When reading these papers, it's importnat to differentiate click when swallow and click when just moving the neck.  I sometimes get a click when turning my head, looking around and back again. It's not bothersome but my click swallow is bothersome but not painful.

[QueenLL]

I'm 32 and was diagnosed with MS 7 years ago, although I've had symptoms for 13 years. MS is what I consider a big coverup for people to dish out tons of money for research and never find that cure for something that they don't know what causes it. I acquired the lovely throat click in September 2008. I am a smoker or was, I quit and it's only been a week. I had a horrible sore throat for a couple of months after beginning smoking the new and improved FSC cigarrettes that have some type of vinyl in them. The material safety data sheets on this new additive are horrific. It's used in making househould items, here let me smoke my coffee pot! I've tried to quit several times and finally success! Let me stop rambling and get to the point...

The clicking has taken on ear pain and I've also had chest pain and my face is kind of puffy with circles around my eyes. I have over 100 symptoms with MS, but I can say the clicking is what gets under my skin the most in addition to my mouth being extremely dry. I live in the wonderful area of south Jersey so I dare not ask for any pain med or muscle relaxer or I get labeled as a drug addict. So every morning I put my work boots on and try to overlook all this while my helpless doctors perform in a circle jerk and point at each other. The most valuable answers are those of my own that none of my doctors answered for me.

For the globulus sufferers, ask your doctor to prescribe approx. 10 valium, if you take these and it goes away it's the globulus problem that worsens with stress.

Thyroid tests leave about 80% of people undiagnosed. I had low t3 counts and 2 doctors said it was fine because the t4 count was normal and the only one they worry about is the ratio.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is when eosinophils cause an allergic type reaction that can become chronic. Yeast and food allergies/sensitivities can wreak havoc on our bodies and several people have these and don't know it. I was told by my doc there is no test for these, but I know there is they just don't want me to uncover the truth. I went on a gluten free diet and got skinny and a lot of symptoms dissappeared. I slipped back off it and felt like I was dying again. Now I'm on a yeast free gluten free diet and feel like I'm 15 again. I also had a high eosinophil count but that was shrugged off.

This past summer I had an MRI of cervical spine and part of my brain stem was also shown. I was told I had several lesions on my brain stem from the MS, I'm really surpised I'm still walking. Thank God! When I went for an MRI of my whole head after that, there were 2 lesions that appeared on a 2006 MRI, but the doc said they appeared to be healing, so it was just the ones on my brain stem he was concerned about. I believe it was the gluten free diet that started clearing them because.....2 visits before the clearing of the two lesions on the lobe of the brain my neuro laughed when I made a comment about the MRI in 2007. I said they didn't clear up and he laughed and said what you think they are gonna leave they don't go away. Well they began leaving after that diet and he wasn't laughing anymore especially when I said I thought you said they weren't going away? Oh geez it takes so long for me to get to the point lol! A visit in the ER over the past summer I asked the doc about the clicking and he said it is possible that lesions on the brain stem could be causing it. Nothing ever shows up it's like a waste of money. Word of advice to those with decent doctors if nothing else shows up get an MRI of the brain stem.  


Nodules on the thyroid can also cause clicking in the throat.

I'm going to ask about that hyoid bone thing too. I've had several doctors laugh at me and even a couple ask me what I wanted them to do for me. I wish I lived in an area with real doctors, They aren't all bad, but the majority are.

I've been tested for Lyme 3 times...nothing.

When I take digestive enzymes this does make the click a little quieter but doesn't take it away.

[esssf]

Well i've had this clicking for about 8 months its just above my adams apple you can say its on the larynx everytime i swollow it clicks.

Now EVER SINCE THIS HAD COME i kept getting throat infections along with tonsillitus

Seen about 4 ENT's which said it could be my tonsils which is causing the clicking because they were inflamed so we dicided to get them taken out.

I got them taken out november 19th 2009 it is now 8th of febuary 2010 i still have this clicking.

I removed the tonsils and i keep getting sore throats still along with gum infections and sometimes when i breath in my throat tickles and causes me to cought i have been to my GP andshe has refered me to another ENT 4 the 5th time.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS IS I AM ONLY 18 YEARS OLD (MALE)
I am not stressed i love my life but this is ruining it seriously ive always got a sore throat i get it atleast 3 times a month alpng with gum infections just by my whisdom tooth somedays it will go then come back in the EXACT same place

Im scared incase they have to remove my larnx or i have some sort of throat cancer now i use to smoke i started when i was AGE 14 (wish i didnt) then i stopped at age 18 due to this clicking and pain.

Please give me adivce any1 thankyou for your time wish you all the best.
x

[esssf]

: Everyone
Well i've had this clicking for about 8 months its just above my adams apple you can say its on the larynx everytime i swollow it clicks.

Now EVER SINCE THIS HAD COME i kept getting throat infections along with tonsillitus

Seen about 4 ENT's which said it could be my tonsils which is causing the clicking because they were inflamed so we dicided to get them taken out.

I got them taken out november 19th 2009 it is now 8th of febuary 2010 i still have this clicking.

I removed the tonsils and i keep getting sore throats still along with gum infections and sometimes when i breath in my throat tickles and causes me to cought i have been to my GP andshe has refered me to another ENT 4 the 5th time.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS IS I AM ONLY 18 YEARS OLD (MALE)
I am not stressed i love my life but this is ruining it seriously ive always got a sore throat i get it atleast 3 times a month alpng with gum infections just by my whisdom tooth somedays it will go then come back in the EXACT same place

Im scared incase they have to remove my larnx or i have some sort of throat cancer now i use to smoke i started when i was AGE 14 (wish i didnt) then i stopped at age 18 due to this clicking and pain.

Please give me adivce any1 thankyou for your time wish you all the best.
x

[esssf]

And thankyou so much silvercat for taking time to write that for mr god bless you.

Yes if you could send me the files you said you wuld that would be great ive been refered to see another ENT this time i have to tell him exactly whats going on its just im worried because ever since i got this i started getting throat infections tonsilitus now that i have removed the tonsils these infection are still happening some times i even get little blisters in the inside of my mouth along with gum infections and none of these symtoms (symptoms) occured when this clicking wasnt her its like ever since the clicking started everything did.

[Danrik]

I noticed a pain in my throat last night while singing. I was only doing it unconsciously so I didn't worry until it became completely unbearable. At this point I stopped singing completely and even stopped speaking for the rest of the night.

I woke up this morning to find that every time I swallow there's a clicking above my Adam's Apple. It isn't there when I turn my head left, or right. If I look up I can't really swallow at all and looking down the clicking is replaced with a sharp pain in the same area as the clicking used to be =/ I'm at a complete loss, I'm only 16 and Singing is my passion, and I'm in a band as well so I can't let this go unnoticed. I'm based in the UK, does anyone know where I can get help around London? =/

[punkin138]

I had a friend that said when she swallowed it made a clicking sound, especially when she was laying down in bed and she felt like she couldn't breathe.  It turned out to be her thyroid, it was getting bigger and they removed it.

[Tias8]

I am sooo glad to hear that other ppl can relate!! I to have had this popping sound and feeling on the left side of my throat as well off and on for about 2 months. Since becoming a mom over 3 yrs ago, i somehow am now a bit of a hypocondriac. And when this popping intially came I though of the C word. I haven't seen an ENT yet, because everything I read or see in posted to me seems to either steer toward the 'stress' thing or a waste of money and time. I have been EXTREMELY stressed and it isn't here all of the time. It comes and goes, but when it is here it is annoying as #@**. And of course I try to touch and feel around on my throat which in turn makes it worse and then my glands swell from being aggrevated. Anyone that can keep the info coming please do so, us clickers and poppers are very appreciative.

[Jay1986]

A quick response based on my own experience and all the research I've done.  This is not medical advice and if you're condition does not improve with self help please do go see a doctor.

In 2007 as an amateur scream vocalist I ran in to a big problem, my diaphragm and voice box did not cooperate.  I hyperextended my voice and went to see an ENT because I had a strange clicking noise in my throat.  The ENT prescribed me a magical steroid pill that made that clicking sound disappear.  Due to not having money for voice lessons I did this again with improper techniques I damaged myself again. (This happened in a matter of one show...)  It's been about three years with me smoking, drinking, inhaling garbage that I haven't gotten checked up to get those pills.  Like some of you when I drink warm water the clicking noise disappears but when I make a loud hoarse noise it comes back harder and more annoying.  To solve this dilemma I've chosen to live a healthy lifestyle.  I quit everything that might induce irritation to my throat and started working on my breathing techniques, simple vocal warm ups and exercises to open my airway to it's full potential.  I drink tea and honey on a regular basis along with controlling my vocal volume when I get overly excited.  With this said...

I think it's a big possibility that just like anyone can get vocal nodules in one night from obsessive screaming, I think anyone can cause enough stress to their throat mechanisms causing them to have a clicking or popping noise.  I screamed with my head held high forcing the air through the little air gap I left myself.  I've learned that the Voice is a such a delicate mechanism it's affected by how much sleep we get, how much fluid we drink, or just what volume we might push it through.  It could be that you go to a six flags or a show and scream your way through it and a week later you notice a funny noise when you swallow.

Good luck to all of you, just wanted to share my opinion for what's it worth :)

[oddball63]

A good site to look at is
http://www.voicedoctor.net/therapy/cps.html

I had ACDF surgery ( to replace a popped disk in my cervical spine ) in September 2009, as a result of being rear-ended in May 2009.

In April 2010, I had a cold/flu, with a really sore throat, which came on really quickly.  I notice this is a common theme among many of these posts.

My GP put me on antibiotics, though there were no sounds of a chest infection.  The day after the worst day, I noticed the click and grating on swallowing, and started to swallow compulsively because of the lump feeling in my throat.

I thought it was the neck fusion was failing, and because I had a routine MRI due for this 3 weeks later, I didn't worry about it, I thought the neurosurgeon would say the neck bones were shorter than they should be and this was causing the click.

The MRI showed the fusion was very good, with no loss of height.  I went back to my GP with my clicking popping throat - he couldn't see it / feel it / hear it and seemed pretty annoyed that I was bothering him ( but then he was annoyed when I first took my failing arm to him and it turned out to be spinal cord compression and radiculopathy due to a ruptured disk, and I had lost valuable muscle off my arm in the 3 months since the accident because he said I was just a little shocked over the accident, and put me on valium).  But anyway he referred me to an ENT.

She took one feel and listen, and said she could feel and hear it, and could tell me exactly what it was.  I was so relieved.  She did a nasal scope and looked at my windpipe.  Then she said I have the Cricopharyngeal spasm described in my link.  

Trachea crepitus is normal, and actually the healthy state.  However, because of my neck surgery (in the ACDF they go in from the front and yank it all out the way)  my trachea is more mobile than normal, and also rubbing directly on bones that would normally be a bit more protected.  Basically, when I had lain in bed with the cold for a couple of days, the burning throat was brought on not by an infection, but by silent acid reflux, due to being flat on my back for a few days.  The body recognises that acid is leaking out the gullet, and to protect the upper airways, the upper oesophageal valve tightens, this is the Cricopharyngeal muscle.  This is directly connected to the cartilage which is the lower section of the adam's apple.  

If you have had any kind of trauma which may have mobilised the trachea more than normal, a bad sneeze/yawn, wisdom teeth removal, anaesthetic, neck surgery, etc, whilst the spasm is there, swallowing saliva makes the cartilage grate and pop against the next one, in my case she mentioned the hyoid bone is also involved.

The click worries you.  Worry aggravates the spasm and hence the click becomes a vicious circle.  The trick in this case is to break the cycle of the spasm.  This is not easy.

There are several ways of doing this.  Someone mentioned alcohol.  Well that is one relaxant.  I had some valium left from when my neck was at it's worst, and took 10mg.  My scepticism then vanished - along with the click - temporarily.

So how to break it permanently?  Well it's not overnight, she said it might take several months.  I have to slightly prop my mattress up to make sure I don't have silent acid reflux.  I have to stop gluten, as it gives me the bloat, and that drives acid up through the gullet.  I have to lose a little weight, for the same reason.  I can take an antacid PPI medication but that may not be necessary if I can adjust my lifestyle.  I have to reduce stress as this aggravates a) the acid and b) the spasm.  I have to reduce alcohol and stop caffeine.  Stress is probably the most important factor here.  For me the stress was worrying about being off work sick with the flu that probably started the cycle, having had 12 weeks off for my neck only months earlier.

[sportmom42]

Wow!  I didn't realize there were other people with the same thing.  I've been having this for about a month and can't recall any trama that happened or sickness.  It just seems as though I woke up with it one morning.  It seems that it's on my right side and is the worst when I'm lying down.  It doesn't really hurt, but it is annoying and I really start to worry that something is wrong.
It doesn't seem as though anybody has really gotten any relief from it, but I probably should get it checked out just to make sure it isn't my thyroid or something else.  I'm really glad to see this message board!

[Kym7a]

Hello All....
So glad to hear that there are actually other people out there who understand completely what I have been going through for about 5 years!!!! I have been to numerous ENT doctors and not one has been able to identify what's wrong. They all actually just brush it off as nothing and assume that I'm just imagining it. My throat began with a click on the right side every time I would swallow and like most of you, it would not occur with food or drink, just regular swallowing. Sometimes, I can feel a small bump in my throat and if I move it, then I can get a few good swallows out of it without the "click". Now, it has moved to the left side of my throat and is sooooo irritating! I cry alot at night when it bothers me the most. :(
I wonder what started it... could have been because I fell on the ice and got whiplash just before the onset or because my large dog hit me in the throat pretty hard one time. Also, I had thyroiditis just prior to the onset and I think that could have contributed as well. I wish I could just get it fixed!!!! Seems to get worse at times and better other times. If anyone has any helpful hints or suggestions, I'm more than willing to hear... Thanks

[Kym7a]

It's me again, just wanted to add that I also have inability to swallow while turning my head to the right or left. My ears often have an irritating pain deep inside almost like an earache but not. I do suffer from GERD but feel that it's under control wtih medication and diet. I get my thyroid checked every 6 months with blood work and it's completely fine.... How would I know if there are any nodules on my thyroid?? Up until tonight I have felt like the only person in the world with this problem... since the ENTs seem to ignore it (I've seen 5 docs).

[Kym7a]

Any good recommendations for great ENTs in the New England area that would be able to do surgery for this?? UCLA is across the country for me? LOL

[JDELAROSA]

IVE GOT THE CLICKING TOO! IF ANY ONE HAS TRIED ANYTHING WISH ACTUALLY WORKED PLZ LET ME KNOW! THANKS

[ojs2828]

Hello,

I have been reading these posts for a few months. My clicking, thumping, and popping sound started December 2009. I have seen two doctors and no one has any answers. I did find out I have GERD, but it is under control with medication. My thyroid and my esophagus are fine.

I have been searching for some common denominators with those with the similar problem.  

Does anyone drink energy drinks? The reason I ask is because I used to drink them regularly and now I drink them occasionally and I noticed an intensity increase of the thumping in my throat during and after I drink one.

Just wondering…

[ojs2828]

Hello,

I have been reading these posts for a few months. My clicking, thumping, and popping sound started December 2009. I have seen two doctors and no one has any answers. I did find out I have GERD, but it is under control with medication. My thyroid and my esophagus are fine.

I have been searching for some common denominators with those with the similar problem.  

Does anyone drink energy drinks? The reason I ask is because I used to drink them regularly and now I drink them occasionally and I noticed an intensity increase of the thumping in my throat during and after I drink one.

Just wondering…

[thalweg]

Wow..nice to hear others having this same clicking sound. I get the clicks while swallowing...and at times can sense a lump with dull minor pain.   However it seems I can make the lump and pain temporarily go away but doing one deep cough or throat clear.

I also can also use my fingers and push the side of my neck and create the clicking sounds that way as well?  Can everyone else do that?  would be interesting to know

[silvercat1]

Ojs2828. I don't drink energy drinks normally. But I did try Red Bull some time ago and didn't notice any negative effect.

Thalweg.  If I look upwards then gently push inward on my right side of the neck, level with the Adams apple,  I feel a breaking or crumble sensation, but I cannot reproduce it pushing from the left. This made me wonder if this is either normal, or some of the cartilage on the right side is either broken, or has been broken and it effectively is more than one piece compared to the equivalent identical part on the other side?  I wondered if the click on swallow was caused by whatever causes this sensation when pushing from the right. When pushing, I imagined two pieces of cartilage held in place, but one scrapes past the other?  Or would it be the case that if there was a break (not a full break but rather a fracture held in place), would this cause immense pain and it would be regarded as a fractured larynx?  If so, I don't have pain associated with this sensation, so it may be normal and for some reason, it doesn't happen on the left side.

Kym7a. I had physical trauma to the throat/oesophagus and the click swallow was coincident after that.  It's a shame that some ENT's brush off your condition as imagining it. Why would anyone imagine it - we all can't imagine similar, and sometimes identical symptoms.  Would anyone imagine the sensations before they manifested themselves?  What I mean here is; the symptoms happen, and only then do we become aware of them. Does anyone ever hear of a physiotherapist - helping a patient with a problem (e.g. a click) with their joints - ever say the patient is imagining it? No - they always find something to account for the symptoms, whether it be a more obvious break, tear, inflamed joint, ligament, tendon, or more subtle inflamations, irritated structures.

[jenners196]

Last winter I hate a horrible throat infection. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection. I was in the worst pain ever (well besides the obvious....childbirth lol) After a couple different courses of antibiotics I got better quite fast.  Ever since then I notice a feeling of "a lump" in my throat. Also, sometimes when I swallow I hear the click as others have mentioned. It doesn't hurt. More of a nuisance than anything. The last couple of weeks as my allergies started in, a lot of draining down my throat, etc it's made the feeling in my throat worse, and the clicking and lump in throat feeling will not go away. I went to urgent care last Saturday because I was having muscle spasms in my neck and back as well and I was beginning to get really worried. As far as the UC physician could tell my throat looked fine, a little red on one side. Most likely from the post nasal drip. So he gave me some muscle relaxors and gave me some tips and sent me on my merry way.

I go to my primary care physician on Tuesday. First, I would like to get my thyroid checked. I had a nodule last time she checked. But my blood test showed everything in the "normal range".  Really nervous about what it could be. I am a really anxious person to begin with. And I really can tell that the clicking and lump seems to feel much much worse when I am upset about something.

So we'll see! I'll have to update.

[Reese0204]

Hi- I have been experiencing the clicking noise in my throat over the last few months... Mine seems to only occur when I am lying in bed. At first, I thought that it was related to my sinus, but not I am starting to think differently. In addition, I have just started seeting an endocrynologist (sp?) because I have a multi-nodule goiter in my thyroid... Wonder if that is the cause since goiters can disrupt your swallowing abilities? Anyone else have a goiter and experiencing the same thing? I was reading above about the superior cornu of the thyroid, but I don't know what that is... Is it similar to a goiter? Any advice would be helpful... Thanks!

[Reese0204]

BTW, my thyroid results came back norml (T4, t3, and TSH)--ALL NORMAL... However, my doctor felt that my throat was enlarged, so she sent me for an ultrasound of the thyroid... That is where the goiter was discovered... So, I will follow-up once the endo tells me whether this is related... We may be on to something...

[thalweg]

Thanks Silvercat.

[69athon]

I'm 16 years old and have been a consistent smoker for over 2 years now (i know it's bad for you please don't try to convince me). I have had this same problem off and on for several days or weeks at a time. It recently began to annoy me A LOT so i set out to try to find the cause of this mysterious clicking going on in my throat. Now i'm no doctor, but i have come to the conclusion that it is almost always caused by stress or sickness/allergies. I've also noticed that the gland above my atoms apple is almost always enlarged. It seems to me that the gland catches on the atoms apple when i swallow, hence the click. This may be why the ENT Drs have repeatedly said that nothing seems to be wrong. I have also noticed that drinking lots and lots of water, eating fruits, and taking vitamins seem to help. I hope this helps a little!
-Josiah

[bingo1755]

I have also become a clicker when i swallow.  I noticed that it is most prevalent when im sitting watching TV.  If i put my head down, it stops.  left, right, or up and its there.  I am a believer in the stress diagnosis as i have been under a lot of stress lately.  My throat always feels tight just like when you were a kid and started to cry.  When the tightness goes, so does the click.  I am also a smoker and got really scared when this started.  I feel no unusual lumps or anything, just the tightness and clicking.  I need to make an appt with a doctor anyway.  Im glad i found this board and others have the same problem and none so far are on chemo.  A lot of other web hits also associate this with GERD which i also have.  My GERD is under control and i dont think thats the issue, it seems to be just stress.

[Beverly4660]

I too have the clicking throat problem. It started after a bad cough that lingered for months.
I've had MRI's, CT Scans, ultrasounds...you name it. I'm going to my ENT doctor and ask for a referral to see the doctor at UCLA. I can't wait to get rid of this annoying problem.
Thanks so much everyone!

[sportmom42]

I've had the same thing for almost 6 months.  After really thinking about it, I think it started after I went to the chiropractor.  She had me laying face down on the table with my head turned and did an adjustment on my back.  I think it pushed my neck into the table.  I've had the click every since.  Some days seem worse than others.  The only way it doesn't click is if I turn my head completely to the right when swallowing or when I lay on my left side.  I don't want to have this for the rest of my life, but it doesn't seem as though most doctors have a clue as to what it is or how to cure it.  Now I seem to have a sore throat on the right side as well, I may see a doctor.

[mich1982]

Ive had the clicking in my throat for the past month, following an extremely bad cold. I still feel like I constantly have to cough and my throat feels tight. After reading everyone's comments I feel a little discouraged :( I was going to see my doctor this week to inform him of the clicking but it sounds like its not common and I do not feel like going through endless testing for hopeless results. Is there anything that helps with the clicking or the pain??

[wildblue98]

There is no doubt in my mind after the over twenty physicians I have seen that doctor Geralde Berke Chief Head and Neck Surgeon at UCLA and his team are best equipped to solve this problem in the world. UCLA was recently ranked 3 nationally and Dr. Berke is one of only a handful of physicians who has really dealt extensively with the clicking throat syndrome. I was hopeless roaming around Southern California looking for even one physician who could really understand my problem. I have a feeling that this syndrome is much more common than reported and that the majority of sufferers out there have not figured out the answer to their clicking throats. Patients must realize that a mechanical problem like grinding or crepitus in throat can be explained anatomically through various documented medical abnormalities annd corrected surgically. But I am glad to see more people searching for answers to this debilitating conditon as it needs to gain further traction in the medical community.. If you cannot make it out to Los Angeles to meet doctor Berke print up the studies that have been posted under this message board more doctors certainly need to see this condition so it is not an enigma but something easily treated in the medical community.

[k9katy]

I have started the same clicking when swallowing over the last couple weeks.. I think it is related to GERD..which i do  have and take medication for. I am going to see ENT specialist soon.....

[Ellislst]

Hi, I come from Malaysia and I have this clicking problem since last week. I had a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth out last month. I have been feeling discomfort in the throat and a slight pain when swallowing saliva and a bit pain where the clicking is. Does anyone think that this clicking happens after surgery?

[Bashre]

I have had the clicking also for about 2 years now. Seen 4 different doctors and got nothing. Had 2 MRI's and got nothing. I can feel and hear it and if somebody puts there finger on it then they can feel it also. It's really close to my adamsapple. I now have problems hearing out of my left ear. I am only 32 years old and this has been going on since I was 29. ENT doctors told me that there was nothing wrong and that I just needed to take some acid reflux pills!?! seriously??  I have worked in a pharmacy for 13 years and I know I don't need a dang reflux pill!!  Something did happen about 2 months ago that was new. I was driving my car and stopped at a red light, I swallowed at the same time that I turned my head to the left, It felt as though it got hung and i could't turn my head back or swallow. I had to grag my throat and move it around until it felt like it was unhung. only happended that once. I would LOVE for somebody to tell me WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AND WHAT IS WRONG!!

[PastorWill]

@ Jay1986

Im a Pastor and when I preach I get a bit excited and I have noticed the same thing after I preach or sing. I believe that Im pushing myself to hard and not breathing correctly.

Would you happen to know of any breathing techniques I could use to help me avoid this clicking problem?

[gwin691]

This is strangely reassuring for me, i have noticed the clicking in the last 2 days, it happens when i am looking forward but not when im looking up or down and was getting really concerned about maybe throat cancer or something equally as awful but this has put my mind at rest, im going to talk to my doctor about it but will stop worrying so much, thank you fellow clickers!!

[Consetta]

Well I have read all the other complaints, and it sounds exactly what I am dealing with, although all the clicking is on the left side and I can't feel anything when I swallow on the right side, I know I have a enlarged thyroid, and there was a nodule on it, but nothing was said when I had a ultrasound done of it, they said it was small and not worry-some..so now I don't know what to do, it bothers me alot cause now when I yawn it feels like something is in my throat and won't allow me to close my mouth or swallow, ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT I SHOULD DO? THANK YOU!!

[wrong142]

I have had that same thing myself for about 6months and I don't know what it is.  I have to clear my throat a lot and my doctor said it was my sinus draining.  So I just didn't worry about it anymore

[wrong142]

I have had the same thing for about 6months and I agree with wildblue98 about the thyroid cartilage rubbing against the hyoid.  I read about that many times.  If I were you I wouldn't worry myself with it.  I have had that clicking, poping feeling for about 6months and I was told it was GERD.  I have had burping and feeling of my food coming back up.  I have sinus is draining and my doctor said it's coming from my sinus.  He told me to take zertex and something for acid reflux which is very hard to cure.

[john217]

I'm a 14 year old male, who developed this problem a day or two ago. As i am a hypochondriac, I immediatly looked on the web for possible causes and or solutions. My clicking problem occurs at the end of each swallow as the adams apple begins to fall again. It is relieved if i hold my head up while swallowing. It is mainly in the centre of my throat and is not associated with feeling a lump.
I first noticed this symptom 2 days ago after a day of experiencing a bad flu. My skin around my nose and mouth dried and my throat became very sore. I struggled to speak at more than a whisper before today. As the symptoms of this cold wane, I am becoming afraid that the clicking feeling is permanent. It might be helpful for me to note that at the onset of the cold i was singing quite loudly as part of a concert. At the end the severe sore throat developed and the next day i experienced the flu like symptoms.
Any advice would be wonderful, im sorry I struggle to express my symptoms as clearly as the other "clickers".

[andreeas]

Same clicking for 4 months, mostly when i swallow salliva. Happened after i got swollen lymph nodes in the neck area for about a month or two and they still hurt a bit ... i just need someone to say it's not the c word. ( hypochondriac )

[andreeas]

anyway.. after reading ALL of the posts , i can finally get some rest tonight :)
good luck to all!

[Riston]

I, too have this clicking in my throat. I ashes my doctor about it and he told me that it might be some bone but I can't remember what he meant. Anyhow my clicking is on the left side of my throat too. It drives me crazy.

[faithful157]

THANK YOU.  

I had ADCF neck surgery in March, 2011 and have had this problem since a couple months after surgery.  Recently, my surgeon took an x-ray and told me the thyroid cartiledge looked calcified, and he ordered a swallow study which I will have in a week or so.  I suspect what you have talked about may be what is going on.  I can make my throat click by putting my neck in certain positions.  It all makes sense.

I'm wondering if when my surgery was done, things didn't get back into the right position afterwards (they move the entire throat area out of the way to get to the spine from the front of the neck).  I've been thinking it is scar tissue, or that there was damage done from surgical intubation.  This sounds more likely, and possibly even related, especially given my thyroid.

Have you heard of anyone having the following issues related to this?:

Esophagus feels swollen
Tight "swollen" muscles on the left side of my neck
Pain in the left ear
Constant pain in throat/neck to the left of the "click" (feels like a lesion)
Terrible headaches
Occipital pain

Can you guess from this that the click is on the left?  

I am so grateful to know what this might be, as I am a singer and have been so worried I may not be able to sing well anymore.  I can't get to UCLA, but I will definitely read the studies and talk to my doctor about them.  The last thing I need is another surgery, but l will cross that bridge later if need be.

Thanks again.

[faithful157]

THANK YOU.  

I had ADCF neck surgery in March, 2011 and have had this problem since a couple months after surgery.  Recently, my surgeon took an x-ray and told me the thyroid cartiledge looked calcified, and he ordered a swallow study which I will have in a week or so.  I suspect what you have talked about may be what is going on.  I can make my throat click by putting my neck in certain positions.  It all makes sense.

I'm wondering if when my surgery was done, things didn't get back into the right position afterwards (they move the entire throat area out of the way to get to the spine from the front of the neck).  I've been thinking it is scar tissue, or that there was damage done from surgical intubation.  This sounds more likely, and possibly even related, especially given my thyroid.

Have you heard of anyone having the following issues related to this?:

Esophagus feels swollen
Tight "swollen" muscles on the left side of my neck
Pain in the left ear
Constant pain in throat/neck to the left of the "click" (feels like a lesion)
Terrible headaches
Occipital pain

Can you guess from this that the click is on the left?  

I am so grateful to know what this might be, as I am a singer and have been so worried I may not be able to sing well anymore.  I can't get to UCLA, but I will definitely read the studies and talk to my doctor about them.  The last thing I need is another surgery, but l will cross that bridge later if need be.

Thanks again.

[brandy5875]

Sounds like a thyroid disorder to me. I had the exact same sensation everytime i would swallow, among many other terrible symptoms, and finally got diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism. My thyroid was enlarged and my tsh level was 150. Started meds about 3 months ago and slowly starting to feel alive again. Hope this helps.

[merc379]

i have that exact problem. have u gotten a fever or sneezing? because i did and it is the worst ever. I went to the doctor and he told me that clicking sound might be allergies. i have tried to find medicine for it but its almost impossible.

[blk133]

Found this link to an article on this forum
http://dysphagia.com/mlist/2002-January/msg00146.html
After reading it I think it is the only solution to the problem.

Good luck!  
P.s.  I still have clicking.

[ChrisK1986]

I too have GERD, as well as asthma....Mine clicks pretty often, especially when I turn my head to the left....did some research and I'm hoping more that it is this habit.....maybe it will help some of you too.....it's called Globus pharyngis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globus_pharyngis

[clickprincess]

Thank goodness that so many others know how I'm feeling.  I have been calling this condition my "click throat" and have been suffering on and off with this for 6 years.  Originally, I was so scared that I went to my family doctor, who diagnosed me with dysphagia, and sent me for a Barium swallow x-ray.  This x-ray showed absolutely nothing, not even reflux.  
What I can say, is that my stress level seems to directly affect my "click throat", so once the Barium swallow test showed I didn't have some type of lump in my throat, the click seemed to subside.  Now 6 years later, I can say the click is still there - and worse when I continue to mull over it in my mind.  I've also noticed a worsening affect during allergy season.  I saw something on uTube that talks about something similar to this, and the "doctor" doing the video calls it "Globus hyperbolus" - I didn't spell correctly.  Basically, like some of the others stated, when swallowing the throat muscles contract, sometimes leading to a clicking feeling or sound.  
Thanks to everyone who made my "click throat" symtoms (symptoms) subside for today....

[tvoice]

I had this clicking start two weeks after a car accident (minor), during which I sustained a whiplash injury, with a straightening of the cervical spine.  

My symptoms:  neck pain (of course), clicking when swallowing- mostly when lying down- not when eating or drinking, clicking when my larynx should be allowed to rise freely during certain vocal exercises and an occasional song, jaw pain, tension and swelling while chewing and occasionally while singing, mild ear pain, shoulders are also clicking while extending arms in certain directions.

My chiro thinks it's probably related to that straightening of the cervical spine, as that can put pressure on the throat. MRI did not show anything definitive. If the clicking doesn't resolve as my neck injury improves, he will send me to a specialist.  

I am a voice teacher, music director, and a singer by trade.  This is dramatically limiting my abilities as a singer.  I've suspected the hyoid bone, relating it to vocal function, but that's just a guess.

I was thrilled to find this forum, as most people just think I'm nuts!  Thank you all for sharing your stories.

[lhatfield]

I too am so relieved that many of you are experiencing the same symptoms as I am.

I've been in extremely good shape my entire life. I'm a 31 years old male that have been involved in martial artists for the past decade. I've been in 3 severe car accidents that nearly took my life within the past 15 years. After the last car accident that happened approximately 2 years ago my health really started to decline. I was diagnosed with a fourth concussion, and developed Limpomas (small fatty non-cancerous tumors) all over my body.

Approximately, 8 months later I had a flood in my house that forced my family to live in a small mice infested apartment for nearly 2 months. During my stay at the apartment (I was under a lot of stress), I started experiencing extreme heart burn that lasted for weeks. I than started having black stools caused by blood from the upper GI track. I went to my doctor to tell him about it and he said that I better rush to the hospital because I most likely have an ulcer. Well long story short, they diagnosed me with Ulcers and put me on Tecta. This was the worst mistake ever!! My bleeding went away, but I started getting weird GERD like symptoms burning my throat so I went back to the doctor and he put me on a few other GERD medications. I was just so relieved about not having blood in my stool anymore that I forgot to mention to him that I am now having issues swallowing.

Over the next few months I went back to the doctor a few times for checkups and he felt that I should go to GI specialist to verify that the Ulcers have healed.

A month later I went in to see the specialist and he immediately scheduled me for an upper GI scope to see if I still have Ulcers (which they never proved that was what I indeed had). A few weeks later I had an upper GI scope performed (last Dec), and nearly choked to death on the operating table. The doctor sent me on my way and said everything looked good. A few days later, I noticed swelling in my throat and clicking when I swallowed on a dry throat. Again, I was so happy that the doctor said that everything is good that I never went back to the doctor to tell him about my throat. To make matters worse, approximately 1 month after I had the upper GI scope done I noticed that my belly button has popped out some and is sore at times.

It's been almost a year since I had the scoped performed and I have Heartburn every day (even with taking GERD medications, and extra strength TUMS), issues with my throat (pain in right side, and problem swallowing), and now I have an umbilical Hernia. I'm not sure what to do next.

HELP!!

[shawn370]

WOW...i found this thread. I have had this for almost a year now and I am scheduled to see a specialist in the next 3 weeks!!!!  It is very frustrating not knowing what it is.....I keep thinking it might be cancer and that is what originally got my *** to see a doctor in the first place.  I have not been sick, or tired, at all and I have not had a cold in 6 years......but this dam click is in my throat and I am really concerned!!!!  

[Bd0CK]

As lame of a fix as this might sound, it actually helped me. A couple months ago i pulled a muscle in my neck when i lifted something a completely wrong way. This "clicking" started happening whenever i swallowed with the exact same symptoms as you guys. But my first thought was maybe it was something to do with my actual neck. So i went to a chiropractor and my neck was actually out. Not enough for a real noticeable difference in how i looked but it was enough. And after she popped it in about a day or so later the clicking completely stopped! I suffered from it for 2 weeks and a simple visit there fixed it. That might be why the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. This might not be a solution for all of you. But i'd urge you to at least try it if nothing else is working. I hope it helps some of you.

[silvercat1]

You poor soul, sounds like you’ve had too many things happeneing at once, which can cause a stressful and anxious time (don’t I know it).

The heartburn might be caused by hiatus hernia but I thought they would have said on the gastroscopy if you had one.  If you have the common infection with helico bacter pylori in the stomach and duodenum, that might be a cause of heartburn or indigestion which antacids such as Tums, Rennies etc would only partially stop the acid but not the underlying cause – H Pylori.  There are tests that can be done to see if you have it. One is usually done at gastroscopy where they take a small biopsy of the stomach (painless during the scooping procedure).  You might not have had H Pylori at the time of the gastroscopy but could have picked it up later? It is a common bacteria – possibly 1 in 3 or 1 in 5? are said to have it. It can come from some tainted red meat as well as other ways. But many can have no symptoms.  I understand there is a breath test, which is not invasive or unpleasant like the gastroscopy.  I believe you blow into an instrument and it gives a reading. You may have to drink something first and then blow into the instrument.  (I think it measures C13 in the CO2, but I’m not sure).

I don’t know what can be done about umbilical hernias but if its clinically significant the doctors would tell you what was needed.  It may be that it needs treatment or, it may be that a more conservative approach is used, such as watchful waiting. I don’t know if it’s possible that it can be reduced by a doctor pressing on it and then something is applied to stop it from coming back, and the muscle might??? heal up.  Aren’t umbilical hernias common in children after birth?  I vaguely recall many years ago, an English penny was put over the umbilicus (above the dressing) where it was cut and it helped to seal the umbilical cut. I don’t know if it was used to treat umbilical hernias at the same time (if they were present). Best to get doctors opinions (and not just one doctor – get a balanced consensus).  

It concerned me that this hernia developed after the gastroscopy. You say you nearly choked to death during the gastroscopy.  It’s normal to gag/retch. Some people tolerate and control well, others don’t. But, I can say from experience (I’ve had 3), the first and third were tolerated well. I gagged a bit but it was straightforward.  I was able to compare all 3 and how they were handled by the gastroscopists. The second one was a nightmare. I started to choke and cough and they had to completely knock me out with an additional heavy dose of sedation.  I’ve had a click swallow ever since.

On the heartburn, you could get this non-invasive HP test done to rule out/in. If positive, you may be treated with “triple therapy” – usually two antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor (ppi). The ppi are to control the rate of stomach acid production, which you’re using now.  I see they appear to be ineffective for you. It may be that one type of ppi might be more effective for you than another. But even the best ppi won’t be fully effective if there is another reason that is causing the heartburn.

Another very important thing you should consider is looking at lifestyle and your diet – what you eat, how much and when you eat.  It really is important. Don’t take it lightly. If you eat lots late at night, you’re going to bed on a full stomach and when you lie down, some of the content can spill out and reflux up the oesophagus. The oesophagus can’t cope with acid as well as the stomach can, and it can burn the lining, which is partially what heartburn is.  Even if there is no hiatus hernia present, if you lie on a full stomach, the contents might cause pressure and open the valve allowing some reflux.  

You should look at what you eat. Some foods worsen reflux. Any web site or doctors book will list foods to avoid. Peppers and peppermint can apparently lower the oesophageal junction pressure and increase chance of reflux (I think this just means it make the valve open easier when it should be tightly closed).  Cereal breakfasts rather than fried can be better.  Too much chocolate and sugary sweet things can cause reflux.

If you don’t eat regular and miss meals, try to curb that and eat more regular. It will make your stomach get used to when it gets food. If you don’t and you become starving all day, the stomach acids will have nothing to work on to digest and that will cause indigestion like symptoms.  Good advice for those with hiatus hernia is said to eat light and regularly. Don’t binge eat and don’t pig out.  Avoid alcohol if you can. I found sugary sweet wines can worsen reflux.  Leave at least 2-3 hours between last eating and going to bed, to allow the stomach to have passed the food further down so you don’t have a full stomach.

[silvercat1]

Try not to worry. Easier said than done. Take things a step at a time. If you develop awful thoughts of everything that may or may not happen, challenge them and say, it may not be as bad. Again, easier said than done, but try.  The good thing is the gastroscopy didn’t show anything sinister and stomach ulcers can heal completely.

I note you had a GI bleed and ulcer (were they stomach or duodenum).  Look at what medication you’re taking for pain relief. NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, dicolfenac can (but it’s not guaranteed) cause GI bleeding. It may have been those that caused your ulcer or worsened it. You may have to use alternative painkillers in general.  Ulcers can be caused by indigestion and I believe, sometimes associated with H Pylori.  PPI’s (e.g. lansoprazole, omeprazole, esomeprazole) can heal ulcers.

The throat problem might be related to (are aggravated by) reflux. There is such a thing as silent reflux, which is not the same as gastro-oesphageal reflux (GOR, or GER). In silent reflux, you are not aware that some reflux is escaping from the stomach and going into the oesophagus. It’s miniscule amounts – possibly as droplets, or moist vapour containing some stomach acid and stomach pepsins. The oesophagus has a local bicarbonate producing ability and therefore can cope with tiny amounts of silent reflux neutralising it (bicarbonates neutralise acid just in the same way bicarbonate of soda is used as an antacid). However, the larynx doesn’t have a local bicarbonate producer and if any reflux manages to get into the larynx, it can’t neutralise it and it can become irritated. Irritation causes mucous formation in response.  Signs could be sore throat and reddening of the back of the larynx area (difficult to see by looking in the mirror, its further down and only a doctor should look with a mirror or laryngoscope up the nose and into the throat- procedure is easy). If no sore throat, you probably don’t have silent reflux.  But irritation of the larynx can cause mucous build up in the area – causing a globus sensation in the throat. There are chemical and physical causes of globus pharyngeus as well as anxiolytic muscle spasm-based “lump in the throat” type globus. It then manifests itself as a need to clear the throat of mucous or phlegm that won’t go away after each clear.  This constant repeated throat clearing might aggravate the throat structures (bones, cartilages) too much. I know coughing is a natural reflex action to clear the airways. But too much could aggravate an existing bone/cartilage impact that might otherwise be almost or not noticeable.  That is, if there is a slight cartilage impact (say slight misalignment for some unknown reason or cause) that happens during the swallow mechanism, if you constantly clear your throat and dry swallow, you’ll become aware of the impact much more. You may find that the click occurs at a certain head position when you swallow, but not at others.  But you become aware and aware and it causes distress.   Distraction techniques might help – doing other things like hobbies, listening to relaxing music, playing a musical instrument.  When you said you were under a lot of stress, it does sound that the heartburn could be related. Hopefully you’re out of the mice ridden house and back to normal living.

The thing is, if things become stressful, it’s because too many things are happening at once and you can’t control it fast enough. Becoming ill makes it worse. So, you could benefit from some time off work.  You might be able to get some flexible arrangements with work so that you can go in late avoiding traffic and working later, or the other way around. Try to tackle things bit-by-bit, step-by-step. Say to yourself, it is impossible for anyone to do deal with all these things. And question, do they need all need to be tackled altogether right now? Can some wait? Question -what really would happen if you did nothing for some of those things – would anything major happen, or would nothing happen at all. Prioritise what’s needed to be done. At the same time, plan time out for yourself and your family.  Some lifestyle changes might help with the heartburn and then it would be one less thing on your plate.

[rob_dec]

Just wanted to thank you for all of the information you've contributed to this thead.  About seven months ago I started experiencing symptoms almost identical to your own, and the first doctor informed me it was stress (despite the fact that my life is about as relaxed and easy as lives get).  It takes forever to get appointments lined up in the area of Canada I'm in (they're usually scheduled a couple days before one's funeral), so I'm still waiting for an appointment to have a scope now.  But about a month ago I changed my diet completely and started taking over the counter acid reflux meds (Zantac), and the symptoms eased significantly.

The worst part was that tight, closed off feeling lower in the throat, and after removing everything 'bad' from my diet (french fries, pizza, soda, and alcohol in my case) that sensation vanished almost entirely within about two or three weeks.  It was unfortunately replaced with some minor discomfort/pain just above my stomach when swallowing dry or hard foods, but I'm hopeful that's part of a healing process.  I also have that click others have mentioned, and a sizzling sensation in the back of my throat, but I find that much less troubling and I can't even be sure that those weren't always present.  I definitely have become hyper aware of it all.

Anyway, just wanted to add my experience for anyone else experiencing this rather worrying problem - it had been at the forefront of my mind for about six months.  I'll update too following the ENT appointment.

[silvercat1]

If the discomfort just above your stomach is between your breasts and just at the start of the stomach, it may be in the region of the valve where acid can reflux and cause irritation or burning feeling. Or it may be muscular spasms from postural movements, or possibly spasms of the oesophagus induced by small amounts of acid that might spill into the base of the oesophagus?  The antidepressant amitriptyline used at a low dose such as 10mg/day (much lower than that used for depression) might provide some relief.  It has some unexplained analgesic properties, often used to desensitise areas and nerve endings.  It is useful in post herpatic neuralgia pain. You could consider amitriptyline by asking your doctor.  It can produce drowsiness, but not in everyone. Therefore if you drive or use machinery, it is important to make a risk assessment and not do those activities in periods of drowsiness. Sometimes that can be addressed by altering daily patterns where you may sleep and get up later etc.  It can also give quite a relaxing sleep, though it is not a sleeping pill.  You would not be able to drink alcohol. It is important to consider any other medications that you may be taking, so ask the doctor and tell them of other over the counter medications that you may be taking so they can judge if there are any adverse reactions or is safe to take.

As you say, the discomfort when swallowing hard or dry foods may be part of a healing process. The surfaces or lining of the base of the oesophagus might have been irritated but healing now. Dry or hard food might scrape past and irritate.  You could consider having a little water with a meal and to start off by having a drink to wet the insides before taking any dry food.

It’s good that you’re looking at and changing diet and monitoring effects.
Yes, the sensations in the throat, it’s possible that continued inquisitiveness could bring to your attention some normal aspects that always existed but you just weren’t aware.  When that happens, you wonder if those aspects are new symptoms or normal e.g. you might start to become aware of gurgles, which are possibly due to normal fluid movements in the throat.  But it does no harm to ask doctors if you have any concern. They can rule out things for you.

Good luck with the ENT.  If they just scope your throat via the nose, it’s easy. They’ll possibly put a local anaesthetic up your nose as a squirt from a can or on cotton wool balls soaked in local anaesthetic and left there for 15 mins before scoping.  It numbs the sensations in the throat as it runs down.   It’s probably likely that you’ll be given a clean bill of health.  If it’s a gastroscopy you are to have, it takes only a few minutes. Just keep calm, it shouldn’t hurt. You’ll possibly gag on occasions (usually at the start getting it over the tongue and on withdrawing the scope). Concentrate on breathing and tell yourself, it’s fine, it’ll be over in a couple of minutes. You can opt for sedation, or not have it. It is possible to do it without sedation.

If its your throat that is of concern to you, it's a direct fibre laryngoscopy (fibre optic thin scope up the nose) that is usually done. A gastroscopy looks at the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum (sometimes called an oesophagogastroduodenoscopy OGD for short). It's probably not the appropriate technique if the sole intention is to look at the throat. They made that mistake with me, when they should have done the more conservative laryngoscopy to look in the larynx first.

[zensixties]

This sounds like my symptom.  I was rear-ended by someone under the influence and had whiplash.  I began chiropractic treatment and the thyroid cartilage grinding when swallowing began within a few weeks and now, 5 months after the accident the grinding seems to be worsening.  It was originally the same thing of it not occurring when I turn to the right.  One ENT said it would "resolve on it's own", but another said it wouldn't without surgery.  I'll let you know of my progress.  By the way how are you now one year after posting?

[blk133]

It has been 3 years since I made that post and my throat still clicks.
Sometimes it is frustrating and sometimes I don't pay attention.  It is not worse than it was.  Hope someone will figure out what is wrong with us and helps us get rid of this click.

[blk133]

4 years, sorry I stoped counting

[burningbrain]

You might have lyme disease :( Look it up. There are a lot of symptoms that come and go. It gets worse as time goes on. Get tested. If the test comes back negative, ask for an antigen test. The testing is unreliable and doctors don't know much about it.

[HCP123]

Displaced Hyoid Bone.  Most ENTs never heard of it and will think you are crazy.  I have been living with it for years s/p trauma to throat.  Can be caused by trauma or just anatomical issues.  Look up Dr. Gerald Burke UCLA Chief of ENT.  Clicking and pain is due to the shifting of HB against pharynx.  Keep neck and head in neutral position chin slightly and you will find the correct position to stop the clicking.  A message therapist who specializes in throat is a wonderful option as is low impact chiropractor.

[HCP123]

A Follow up to my original comment.  WHEN YOU WERE INTUBATED IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY APPLIED TOO MUCH CRICOID PRESSURE AND DISPLACED YOUR HYOID BONE DURING YOUR T&A.  Displaced Hyoid Bone.  Most ENTs never heard of it and will think you are crazy.  I have been living with it for years s/p trauma to throat.  Can be caused by trauma or just anatomical issues.  Look up Dr. Gerald Burke UCLA Chief of ENT.  Clicking and pain is due to the shifting of HB against pharynx.  Keep neck and head in neutral position chin slightly and you will find the correct position to stop the clicking.  A message therapist who specializes in throat is a wonderful option as is low impact chiropractor.

[Rachek]

So sorry everyone is going through this.  There are definitely worse things that we should be greatful we don't have, but this is a very irritating thing to deal with on a daily basis. I have had the clicking in my throat for about 4 months now.

My symptoms:
Clicking when I look right or down
I can feel the click and make it click when I press on the front middle of my throat and look to the right.
If I mess with it too much it gets sore
I can feel it mostly in the left side of my throat

I initially got really nervous that it was something serious, then visited my primary doctor and an ENT in Atlanta (Dr. Jarboe). They felt around and looked in my throat with a camera, luckily nothing looked abnormal.  

I was prescribed to Omeprozol for my acid reflux and have changed my diet to get rid of it completely.  I have also experience more stress in the last 6 months of my life than I have ever experienced (family situation & getting married in 1 month), and both my doctor & ENT doctor think it is stress related.

I have diagnosed myself from all of the research I have done.  I'm pretty sure it is my Hyoid bone caught on cartlidge or something that is making it click.  I think it was caused by the stress that made tension in my neck muscles. I also have had TMJ for years and I think that adds to the pressure in my neck.

I got a CT Scan today to be on the safe side and make sure nothing is abnormal in my soft tissue in my neck (the only thing that has not been checked at this point) and I will report back what the results are.

It is a very frustrating "disorder" and I hope they can figure it out in the medical field soon.  

By the way, I am a 25 year old female. I am not a smoker and I'm in pretty good shape. I am also a Christian, and prayer and scripture have helped my stress levels come down significantly. If you need some encouragement, I would recommend reading Jeremiah 29:11, Psalms 46:1-3, John 16:33.  

[Rachek]

As a follow up, I got my CT Scan results and everything is clear. My ENT suggested I stretch my neck, massage it, and try to keep my stress levels down. He thinks it is stress that has caused my hyoid bone to start rubbing against things and make the click feeling. He couldn't see anything abnormal in the scan, so I guess it is fine.  I was concerned about the bone damaging cartlidge and muscels around it, but my ENT did not seem to think that would happen.  He said to come back for a follow up if it gets painful or still clicks in a year.

Sometimes I can feel a dull pain deep in the top of my throat/right under my jaw on the side it clicks. I am going to stop messing with it, try massaging it & stretching it, and not worry about it. Hopefully it will go away!!

Goodluck!!

[jimick]

I have the same throat clicking problem as everyone else on here. I might have stumbled across something that helps. About 6 months ago my dog had trouble eating and drinking and his neck started to swell up. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with lymphoma(not sure if i spelled that right). She gave me some pain pills and steroids that took the swelling down and helped him eat. I'm sad to say he passed away a month later. i had some of the steroids left so a few days ago i started taking them. My clicking has almost stopped it's just barely there, hopefully it goes away. I'M NOT A DOCTOR SO YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK WITH YOURS BEFORE YOU TAKE THIS MEDICINE. I've been taking Prednisone 20 mg. I really really hope this helps some of you throat clickers. Please let me know if it does.

[blk133]

Did you talk to your doc before taking your dog's pills?
If not, I think you should stop taking them right away.

[jimick]

Yes i talked to my doc. It's the same medication she gives me when i get poison ivy. It works great, the clicking is almost gone. It's way better than having to get surgery.

[mariana3526]

i too have this. i had a polyp removed in my throat. and two days later i now have a clicking in my throat when i swallow. does it ever go away? PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!

[b_jsimon]

I have had two opinions and no help from either one but it did lighten my worrying a bit.  Mine has been popping like this for a year and a half and at times it aches on the left side right when I swallow and other times it doesn't but the ent which has high accolades promised that it wasn't serious and not to worry about it.  The problem is that he couldn't do anything about it and even said its an annoyance that I will have to deal with.  Doctors need to figure out what this is because it seems more common than not when you look online.

[mariana3526]

Is anyone doing any better?

[Sboucher]

Hey I know it's a few years after your posts, but everything you have described, I have been going through for 7 months now. My docs thought I was just imagining things until I made them touch my throat while I swallowed so they could feel the "click" or "knock" so she has referred me to an ENT. I will be going to see them next month for the throat scope.
  I too have bouts where it doesn't really bother or consume me, but then I have days where I get pain on the same side my "knock" is comin from. Also, when I get a minor cold even, and my throat gets the typical discomfort from a cold, the side the knocking comes from has way more pain/discomfort then he right side.
If I push on my throat just above the atoms apple, my next two swallows are "silent" swallows. Or if I force a cough out, then again, the next two swallows are silent as well.
I'm now sure hat my ENt won't find anything due to what you few people has examined happened to you's. not very reassuring.
I have had so much stuff happen to my body in the last 7 years of my short life, that docs can't explain or fix, that the idea of having to just "deal" with yet another issue for the rest of my life is so discouraging.
  I was just hoping hat after these last few years, that maybe you have finally gotten to the bottom of this Robles and can shed some light knit for me to be able to take to the doctors next month.
Please, any kind of response is better then continuing on feeling like I am all alone in this battle of trying to get to the bottom of things.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
Sherisse

[Sboucher]

Hey I know it's a few years after your posts, but everything you have described, I have been going through for 7 months now. My docs thought I was just imagining things until I made them touch my throat while I swallowed so they could feel the "click" or "knock" so she has referred me to an ENT. I will be going to see them next month for the throat scope.
  I too have bouts where it doesn't really bother or consume me, but then I have days where I get pain on the same side my "knock" is comin from. Also, when I get a minor cold even, and my throat gets the typical discomfort from a cold, the side the knocking comes from has way more pain/discomfort then he right side.
If I push on my throat just above the atoms apple, my next two swallows are "silent" swallows. Or if I force a cough out, then again, the next two swallows are silent as well.
I'm now sure hat my ENt won't find anything due to what you few people has examined happened to you's. not very reassuring.
I have had so much stuff happen to my body in the last 7 years of my short life, that docs can't explain or fix, that the idea of having to just "deal" with yet another issue for the rest of my life is so discouraging.
  I was just hoping hat after these last few years, that maybe you have finally gotten to the bottom of this Robles and can shed some light knit for me to be able to take to the doctors next month.
Please, any kind of response is better then continuing on feeling like I am all alone in this battle of trying to get to the bottom of things.
Thanks for any advice in advance.
Sherisse

[mariana3526]

Finally! Im not alone.  How did you notice your clicking? My second Ent thinks when they intibated me they may have over stretched me causing my cartilage to be rubbing/ wich is causing a click..... im so depressed over this?  It actually feels like a bone clicking and rubbing in my neck.....im so scared i have to live with this.... i see the Dr again tomorrow so we will see what he has to say

[mariana3526]

Hello to everyone reading this ... any advise is better than no advise.. did this ever go away for any of you..? or is surgery the only way to get results? If anyone could shed some light i would greatly appreciate it! I live in Chicago/ does any one know any Drs here that can help me...

[silvercat1]

Try not to worry. My overall consensus from reading this post top to bottom and also reading literature is surgery would be a lost resort and on balance, the risks of surgery are probably greater than doing nothing.  There will be various reasons for click swallow. One of the posters here wildblu98 has an excellent knowledge of throat anatomy and offers explanations for click. I think in your case, the suggestion of stretching the cartilage by intubation might be feasible but that's just my opinion (not based on any medical facts or statistics). I was also intubated - gastroscopy that went difficult. Since then, I had click swallow which occurs at specific head/neck positions. It doesn't hurt but frustrating and doesn't occur all the time (because the head/neck is not always fixed in the position worst for click swallow). If you message me with your e-mail address, I can send you some throat exercises that might help and a medical paper.  I think with time, your click will get less. If something has moved into position such that it now contacts as you swallow, with time, it may ease back or "wear" down (if such a thing can happen?) - I'd favour the former - easing back to the original normal position. Remember, self awareness of the click can sometimes make things worse because you, probably, like a lot of us, will position your head at different positions, then swallow to test the extent of the click or if it's there. It's sometimes best if you can try (if it's possible) to do things that will distract you. Also, you may have had a click before without even noticing, but that it may have just got worse to the extent that you have become aware. Rather than cartilages that have moved into position and are glancing past each other just touching, another potential cause of a click might? be a symptom of anxiolytic induced globus pharyngeas where cricopharyngeal muscle goes into spasm and causes the sensation of a lump. It may be that if spasm is present, when you swallow, the lump (which is not a sinister lump or an actual physical lump) may cause a click sensation on swallow. Do you have the click when swalloing food? or just when swallowing air/nothing?  I understand that globus sensations are not present when swalloing food (because a valve opens temporarilly to allow food to pass, and the muscles relax or sometjing like that). I would suggest you don't mess on poking your throat and don't start to peer down your throat daily looking in the mirror (which I did) because it means you're stretching your throat in different ways and it might??? make things worse, or at least increase your awareness too much. I hope this helps. Give me a message for the paper.

[blk133]

Mine is still here.  Gets worse when I get a cold.  Don't think it will go away on its own.

[Polska123]

Looking to see if anyone has experienced the same problem as I do. 4 months ago I woke up with a striking pain in the throat (left side of Adams apple) it was so bad I couldn't go back to sleep. The pain cleared up, but now I get this weird click in the same area after I yawn. It feels like a bone or tendon get stuck and click right back to place after I move my head around. I've had a barium swallow, thyroid ultra sound and a blood test done, and nothing showed up. The click does not hurt but just annoying, and even worse the fear of cancer as I've been a half a pack a day smoker for 15 years. I went to see a different doctor which was really interested in this symptom, he said that the tendons became loose on the hyoid bone, and thatthis is just a abnormality and  i'm currently on antiinflammatories and i might just have to just get used to it. I did not have any neck trauma prior to this but I do recall having a severe sinus infection prior to this. Just looking to see if anyone else is experiencing this.

[silvercat1]

I'm sorry you have this click.  I don't know what caused your symptoms. You didn't say how long the pain lasted; hours, days, weeks etc. You mentioned when you yawn the click occurs. It's not a click in your jaw is it? Sometimes when the mouth is opened, the jaw bones can click. Dentists sometimes comment on jaw clicks when doing examinations. However, you would have noticed this at dentist appointments when opening your mouth wider than you normally would, so it probably isn't a jaw click.

If you're worried of throat cancer, you should express those concerns to your doctor who would probably send you to an ENT doctor and do a direct fibre laryngoscopy. They insert a small endoscope up the nose, and it dangles into the throat where they can see the vocal chords etc. The reason they go up the nose is is to avoid in thro the mouth going over the tongue which would cause gagging. This way, they avoid the tongue completely.

They usually squirt a little local anaesthetic up the nose a few minutes before hand, or insert a cotton wool ball dosed with local anaesthetic for a few minutes. You get a sensation of numbness up the nose and eventually the swallow becomes a bit numb. Nothing to worry about. Then they insert the endoscope slowly. You might think the nose passage is not big enough to allow the endoscope in, but goes in easy.  It's all done in a few minutes whilst you sit calmly. You might see the view on a video screen if they record it.

If you possibly can, you should consider trying to stop smoking. It's likely to be of benefit based on what they say about smoking.  Stopping might be difficult, I understand that. You could reduce the number of cigarettes gradually which might make your body not so dependent, and eventually you'll stop. e.g instead of 10 a day, aim for 9 a day and pace it out. Then 8 a day etc. Then when you get to 1 a day, do 1 every other day, then one every 2 days, then none. That is probably not so dramatic as stopping immediately, which could cause unpleasant withdrawal effects not getting the fix of nicotine.

As for the click, a lot of us have this in various sets of symptoms and magnitudes, but I think the general consensus is that it is a nuisance but isn't harmful.  It could go away on its own which might take weeks, months or years, or remain. Time will tell.  But if you do feel a physical lump in your throat or neck, or have had changes in your voice or had a hoarse voice for more than about 3 weeks, go back to the doctors for a check.

[Polska123]

Thanks for the response, my symptom has gone on for at least 4 months, wen i yawn, something gets dislodged in my adams apple area, i have to swallow or move my head around and it clicks back into place. There are no masses or lumps in my throat, and I am not experiencing any hoarseness in my voice, other that occasional phlegm which i have to clear my thoat. I do believe on the other hand that my symptom could be stress related as I have had a family member attempt to commit suicide at the beginning of the year, and have become a hypochondriac since then. The stress could have caused my thyroid to inflame and the hyoid is rubbing against the cartilage. I am awaiting a call from an ENT for an appointment, just recently went to see my doc and he did a referral. I think the stress from my hypochondria is getting to me

[silvercat1]

I wondered how you have gotten on since last year. Has your symptoms got better with time and the control measures in diet you introduced?  Have you been able to have a few of those delightful foods you removed and seen whether any problems came back or you could now tolerate them.  Has your click got any better?

[silvercat1]

I'm sorry to learn of that news. Stress is not a good thing. I suffer from it, which causes or worsens anxiety and depression. In some cases, the muscles in the throat can go into spasm and cause the sensation of a lump. I think it's the cricopharygeal muscle. I think it is possibly like other muscles in the body which go into spasm, there are obvious sensations.

I have not been able to correlate my click with stress because symptoms have been worse in times of no stress, and not obvious at times of severe stress.

I read somewhere about a test to see if it is spasm in the throat. The idea was to take a low dose of Valium (diazepam) for a few days. Diazepam is actually a muscle relaxant, hence the idea of a trial. If spasm is present, diazepam might reduce or stop it. If the click is caused by spasm, then it may work. An ENT told me that the dose I took was probably not high enough to test the theory.

Yes, there is a lot of discussion on impacting cartilages said to be the cause of clicking. In general, if the click is so abrupt, a CT scan might show the impact. However, CT scans expose people to X-rays which adds risk that wasn't there before. That is, is it worth a CT? because what is the consequence if a CT showed an impact? - either do nothing or a potential operation (as a last resort) to attempt to stop the click (which may not be succesful, but the literature I have read showed most operations were succesful. But again, this was only a handful of patients).

I think if you think stress could be a potential factor, work with it and see how you go. Look at ways of reducing stress (unfortunately I understand smoking might give that release but it's not a good way).  I don't understand the abrupt acute event in the night though. I can't see stress doing that. Effects of stress are generally gradual and build up. But, once the stress has built up (without you realising), certain events might be triggered, e.g. muscle spasms.  Is it possible that you had the click before the event but that you then associated the click with the event? The event may have just been a nerve nip or something causing intense acute pain that would fade away after the nerve was released, or some spasm - like how muscle spasms elsewhere occur such as the back of the lower leg or foot, which can be enormously painful at the time and for days after.

I'm actually sitting here writing this and I've got that damned click swallow, which occurs at certain head positions. Mine hasn't been cured so I live with it. I try to distract myself.  I would suggest you don't mess on poking the throat. You could end up testing yourself, comparing R and L and listening for clicks and you'll start to become aware of throat bone and cartilage movements and sensations you never knew you had, but you might start to worry that they are not normal.

You could take the HAD test to see what levels of anxiety and depression you might have (if any). It's a series of questions. You could find it somewhere on the internet if you looked it up. Or, a doctor could give you the list of questions (but if you don't want it on your doctor's record, just do the test yourself).  

There are some medications that are reported to be helpful in desensitising areas of the body due to nerve pain. Gabapentin and especially pregabalin which is reported to be better, might help with throat sensations. If it's a physical impact, then medication won't work.  But might be worth a try, especially if you have anxiety.

[Jocmaxum23]

Luckily I have only had the click for about three weeks.  I go weekly to my chiropractor and asked him if he knew what the click was from.  Dr Mike told me that the neck/throat muscle is tight and has slipped out of position.  He said to to:

Roll up a towel
Lay on your back on your bed with your head hanging over the edge
Place the towel under your neck
Stretch the neck/throat muscle by letting your neck hang
Rub throat area while stretching
Do this every night as long as you can, until the clicking stops

Mine worked in three days.

I hope this helps with the throat clicking for someone else too because this was so annoying.  

[RiceFarm]

Hello

I come from Norway, but lives in England on a singing study. I have been seeing 4 doctors and 2 ostepaths to try to treat symptoms I randomly got after beeing sick for a couple of weeks with a throat infection.

After the throat infection I had last year a wierd sensation apeared, even after beeing healthy. The sensation is something beeing stuck in my throat 24/7. Like something beeing stuck in the throad or making it feel more narrow. When I swallow it usually click, but the intensity is random from day to day. Today its so loud that I and others can actually hear it. I look at some of the previous post and wierdly enough, swallowing, while looking to the left side makes it click free!

I am spending money on private ear, noose and neck specialist and will demand a CT scan. I am really glad I found out that I am not the only person who is experiencing this problem, which most doctors has not taken me serious on. I have been diagnosed stress, unhealthy, acid reflux and so on, but with no treatment to help. I feel unstress, healthy and just fine. This problem just came out of nowhere and is haunting me for the last 5 months. This is a huge problem for me as a singer and has to be resolved for me to continou doing so.

I will come back with results and stuff like that later.

Peace out! =)

[RB3825]

Did you ever resolve the click?  I too have a click in my throat that started two years ago.  They found a large growth on my thyroid and it was removed a year and a half ago.  Still clicking.  Went and had an upper GI and they found a hiatal hernia but said this is not the cause.  Am now having a laryngoscopy and barium swallow test.  Mine feels that there is a bone clicking in my throat only when I hold my head in certain positions and swallow.  If I tilt my head up it stops or if I am swallowing food or drink I do not feel it.  Curious to know if others resolved the click.  

[blk133]

I still have it.  There are more and more people who post with the same issue  and when you tell ear/nose specialist they look at you like you just fell of the moon ( 0_0 click? In the throat? No idea)

[silvercat1]

I still have the click in the throat when I swallow. It's more noticeable at certain head positions, especially looking down. If I look up and swallow, the click is absent. It is not always noticeable. It can be much worse and noticeable if I cough or clear my throat, then swallow.  It is still noticeable when I swallow a drink.  If I press on my throat from the left, near or at the Adam's apple with the head slightly lifted upward, the throat just bends. If I press from the right, there is a click even without swallowing. It feels like the way a knuckle might crack but the throat bends and the sensation during the click or clicks is like a crumbling cartilage.  I get concerned if I press and the click occurs because I'm worried that it causes harm or that it had been mending and pressing might break it.  Does anyone know what the crunches/clicks are when I press on the right, but no crunches/clicks when I press on the left?  I worry that one side has been "broken" at some stage and is in pieces that hold themselves together in some way.  There is much in this forum that suggests click swallow is due to bone impacts. There was a mention of hiatus hernia but not the cause of the click swallow. I wondered if a hiatus hernia could cause a click swallow by the following:  The stomach fills with gas and gets bloated a little. Then, it presses upwards on the diaphragm and oesophagus. I wondered if the oesophagus could be pushed upwards a few millimetres whilst the stomach was full or gas. That might make the oesophagus push the larynx upward a little and when the swallow occurs, it might have made the structures of the throat impact in some way? This theory would probably not stand up if the oesophagus didn't move upwards a little.  Has anyone who has a hiatus hernia noticed if the click swallow disapprears temporarilly when/if/after they burp?  That is, air is released from the stomach, the pressure on the hiatus hernia is less and perhaps the oesophagus sinks downward a few millimetres, taking the pressure off the throat.  The oesophagus would probably have to act as a rigid tube but this might not be possible, I don't know.

I used to clear my throat a lot and have to suck Jakeman's sweets or something to help. But on one occasion, I took trimethoprim for another condition, and there was an affect on my thorat. Because it is an antibiotic, I assume it changed the flora of the throat. I noticed I didn't need to clear the throat regularly and didn't need to suck such sweets.  The click occurs if clearing the throat, so when I didn't need to clear it (coinciding with taking trimethoprim), the click didn't occur or was less noticeable. Taking trimethoprim and an impact on the throat may have been a coincidence, but for some of you, it may be worth a try.  You'd have to convince a doctor to prescribe it. But if you don't have a throat or chest infection, its unlikely you'd get such antibiotic.  I didn't have a throat infection but the AB was needed for some other condition elswhere unrelated to the throat.

[ClickingNeck]

Thank you for posting this.  I have had the click for 4 months and I will try your method.   I hope it works!

[ClickingNeck]

I have the same click when I swallow.  If I push on my adams apple from the left side, I feel a click in my neck and then there is no click on the next swallow.  There has to be a cure!!

[ClickingNeck]

I don't think the crunches\clicks when you press on the right are anything "broken".  I think it's something out of alignment and that crunching is cartilage rubbing.

[greg904]

This is the problem I think

1 u have rounded shoulders weak back muscles
2 u have sore rhomboid muscle or one shoulder blade sore

When press rhomboid which is inflamed it refers up to the head and Into the Adam's apple

The shoulder ( check them one might be higher then other) is pulling your strap muscles to the left or right putting the cartilage crooked a bit and irritating it and making it click, why rhomboid is sore

So

Keep your shoulder back and chin tucked in when walk or sit with straight back

Go to gym do back exercises lateral pull down, seated row, dumbbell fly, assisted chin up

Do rhomboid stretches and chest stretches

Get back massaged by physio and posture fixed

Stop using laptop with forward head position

Sleep on back with towel down spine or sleep on shoulder which doesn't have the sore rhomboid muscle

Relax!!!! Stop worrying it will get better

This is a posture and weak back problem I think get your back checked by a physio and see if fixes the problem it's due to asymmetry

[greg904]

Also check your T spine it's probably inflexible from too much laptop and or bike riding. This is a posture problem in most cases. Took ages to work out saw so many doctors who had no clue but finally worked it out. Reflux is probably due to stress and or asymmetry of shoulder and neck. Neck tucks may be useful too. U may have cervical lordosis but look at your shoulders if one higher then other and if tucked back and down properly. Get a physio to strap them in correct position few days and start doing back exercises and stop all chest exercises

[greg904]

Also when I press the sore rhomboid muscle the referral feels inside the Adam's apple. The greater horn of the hyoid is tender from asymmetry and i think it's scraping the submandibular gland irritating it and/or pressing rhomboid causes salivation which feels like its inside throat why when ent checked mine all ok. So check your shoulder hights and poke around to find your rhomboid

[greg904]

As soon as I retract shoulders down and back relief could come quickly. Let me know how u all go?

[greg904]

Another cause of this is using laptop in bed on your side for long periods stop that ASAP as well. But I think most will have asymmetry of shoulder, forward neck position and rounded shoulders.

[greg904]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/496030-mylohyoid-exercises/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/495379-suprahyoid-exercises/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/159600-stretches-for-the-omohyoid-muscle/

http://www.livestrong.com/scalene-muscles/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/124223-forward-head-posture-symptoms/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/490112-suboccipital-exercises/

But I think shoulder position is more important and back rowing exercises and stretches

[ClickingNeck]

It might not be the rhomboid muscle that you are feeling.  The nerve roots for your arm and shoulder are in your neck, so if you developed the clicking at the same time as the rhomboid pain this may be the cause.  The next time you get the rhomboid pain, have somebody grab your head and pull upwards on it.  If that makes the pain go away and then it comes back when they release your head, the problem is in your neck and not your shoulder.  

[ClickingNeck]

Just to let everyone know, the advice Jocmaxum23 got from his chiropractor did work for me but the click came back.  Maybe if I do it more often or more regularly it could cure it or maybe my click is just worse than his was.