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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
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
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.
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.
1 Comments
wow... i'll give this a try
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.
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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