A constant unpleasant feeling of a lump in the throat, including when swallowing, associated with belching and lack of air, can be a manifestation of several different diseases. The sensation is often accompanied by discomfort when inhaling and a feeling of pressure.
Specialists from the First Family Clinic of St. Petersburg will help you find the true reasons for the sensation of a lump in your throat.
Symptoms that something is wrong with your throat
The feeling of a lump in the throat may be accompanied by a “soreness” in the throat, a feeling of incomplete inhalation, difficulty swallowing, discomfort in the neck and chest, a burning sensation or a sensation of a foreign body, although there are no changes when palpated (nothing is enlarged, not deformed, not inflamed).
A “lump” that appears once should not cause concern, since it is most likely a one-time reaction of the body to stress, overwork, or excitement of the nervous system.
If this phenomenon recurs, you should consult a doctor, as this feeling can become a painful symptom, “overgrown” with other manifestations: a feeling of a foreign body in the oropharynx, sleep disturbances, anxiety, loss of appetite and disruption of normal swallowing, surges in blood pressure and sensations of heart failure , diarrhea or constipation.
As a rule, timely and adequate treatment completely eliminates the unpleasant symptom.
Diagnostics
A lump in the throat is not a pathognomonic sign indicating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine as a causative factor of the disease. Therefore, during the examination to make the correct diagnosis, an important step is differential diagnosis. The organs of the neck, in addition to the cervical spine, also include the larynx, pharynx, esophagus, trachea, and thyroid gland.
A feeling of constriction, a feeling of a foreign body in the throat can also occur with other infectious and somatic pathologies in these organs, for example, with hypertrophy of the thyroid gland, with mechanical damage to the walls of the oropharynx, with tumors of the larynx, with various diseases of the ENT organs.
Differential diagnosis takes into account the absence of signs of inflammation of the soft tissues of the throat, pharynx: temperature, redness, pathological changes in the mucous membranes.
Each patient who comes to Dr. Dlin’s clinic with complaints about problems in the musculoskeletal system undergoes a thorough diagnosis of the functional state of each segment of the spine to determine the causative factor.
To confirm or exclude the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, hardware diagnostic methods are prescribed:
- X-ray of the neck and collar area shows changes in the structure of the bone tissue of the spine: growth of osteophytes, displacement of the vertebrae.
- MRI is a method that allows you to directly assess the condition of intervertebral discs and identify signs of osteochondrosis in the early stages.
- Duplex scanning of cerebral vessels to determine their patency.
- Rheoencephalography is a method by which the level of blood supply to brain structures is assessed and pathologies in the vascular bed are detected.
As part of the differential diagnosis, ultrasound of the thyroid gland, pharyngoscopy, indirect laryngoscopy, esophagoscopy, and gastrointestinal endoscopy are performed.
Causes of an unpleasant lump in the throat
- Overwork.
- Severe or long-term stress. Nervous tension.
- Neuroses and neurotic reactions.
- Depression.
- Anxiety disorder (phobias, panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, etc.)
- Psychosomatic diseases.
- Schizotypal disorder, schizophrenia.
- Consequences of organic damage to the nervous system after trauma. infections, strokes, heart attacks, etc.
- Diseases of internal organs (hyperthyroidism, thyroiditis, tonsillitis, spinal osteochondrosis, hiatal hernia, obesity or cachexia).
- Allergic reactions.
- Poisoning.
Who to contact if you have a lump in your throat
The feeling of a lump in the throat is treated by a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. During the consultation, the doctor will assess the condition and determine the amount of assistance needed.
Help can be obtained in any clinic where there is a license to provide assistance in psychotherapy, psychiatry and neurology and where a psychiatrist or psychotherapist conducts an appointment.
ROSA Clinic
is a specialized and licensed clinic that provides assistance for all types of disorders accompanied by a feeling of a lump in the throat.
Our specialists
are ready to come to your home for consultation; you can also see a doctor in our clinic.
Treatment is most often carried out at home. If necessary, it is possible to be hospitalized in our own hospital, equipped with modern diagnostic equipment and where it is possible to carry out active treatment.
Sore throat and gastritis: an unobvious connection
This will probably seem “strange,” but a sore throat can actually be a consequence of gastritis, or more precisely, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Pain in this case appears “on its own”, without other traditional signs of acute respiratory infections. But rinsing, inhaling or taking antibiotics obviously doesn’t make it better. So how not to confuse acute respiratory infections and GERD? And what else does pathology threaten?
What is GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a chronic pathology with a relapsing course, characterized by periodic spontaneous reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus and larynx, and the development of lesions resembling chemical burns.
This type of reflux is felt as heartburn or a sour taste after a burp, and most often appears after eating, during sleep, or when bending the body forward.
At the same time, it also occurs in a healthy body, after eating. True only if it is not accompanied by unpleasant sensations and extra-esophageal symptoms.
These symptoms include:
- pain behind the sternum, radiating to the neck, lower jaw, interscapular area and left half of the chest, which can simulate angina pectoris;
- sore and sore throat, hoarseness, laryngitis;
- as well as cough, shortness of breath and severe bronchospasm, reminiscent of asthma.
As you can see, GERD successfully disguises itself as several fundamentally different diseases, often leading clinicians down a false diagnostic and therapeutic path.
For example, “provokers” of coughing and choking are often sought among allergens. Chest pain leads to a cardiologist. Laryngitis is treated with antibiotics.
Such treatment, however, will not give any tangible results. After all, the true cause of the pathology lies in excessive acidity of the stomach and insufficiency of the lower esophageal sphincter (“flap” between the esophagus and stomach).
How to check for GERD
The classic way to detect GERD is 24-hour intraesophageal pH-metry.
However, the method cannot be used in a screening format and for self-diagnosis, since it requires the installation of a nasopharyngeal tube and is associated with the psychological experiences of the patient.
Unfortunately, medicine does not yet know another reliable and non-invasive way to assess acidity in the esophagus. However, GERD can be indirectly assumed using the Gastrocomplex blood test.
The complex includes the definition:
- Gastrina-17,
- Pepsinogen (I, II and their ratios)
- and antibodies to H. pylori,
which allows, with a high degree of efficiency, to detect the presence of hyperacid (with high acidity) gastritis and Helicobacter pylori infection, which are the “basis” of GERD.
In addition, the analysis is widely used to identify atrophic gastritis and the risk of gastric oncology.
How is the feeling of a lump in the throat treated?
Treatment is determined by the causes and mechanism of development of the disease and is selected individually for each patient.
For a recent and non-severe condition
treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis: the doctor conducts a psychotherapeutic session, prescribes medications that the patient takes at home and periodically comes for follow-up consultations.
For moderate severity
- treatment in a day hospital is recommended: daily treatment procedures are carried out (drug infusions, physiotherapy, etc.), which take an hour and a half, but the patient lives at home and goes about his usual business. The average course of a day hospital is about 10 days.
In severe condition
hospitalization in a hospital is recommended. Due to intensive treatment, the condition can be stabilized already in the first hours of stay. The average length of hospital stay is 10 days (from 5 to 30 days depending on the severity of the condition and the body’s recovery abilities).
Main methods of treatment:
- Psychotherapy.
- Drug treatment (pharmacotherapy).
- Physiotherapy.
- Massage and manual therapy.
- Diet therapy.
- Biofeedback therapy.
Treatment of throat neurosis
Symptoms of neurosis of the pharynx and larynx disrupt the quality of life of patients. At the initial stage of the disease, it is performed on an outpatient basis. The patient is recommended to change his lifestyle, maintain the correct daily routine, alternate between wakefulness and sleep, go to bed on time, and get a good night's sleep. If the cause of neurosis is sleep, the symptoms of the disease disappear after several days of rest.
In the presence of an inflammatory process, anti-inflammatory therapy is carried out. A patient with throat neurosis is prescribed herbal sedatives. The selection of medications and dosage is carried out by a doctor. After several days of taking medications, the symptoms of neurosis of the pharynx and larynx disappear. If the patient feels a lump in the throat during neurosis, pureed liquid food is prepared for him, which does not irritate the mucous membrane of the pharynx. You should stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating spicy foods.
If the therapy is ineffective, doctors prescribe small doses of antidepressants in the presence of depression and asthenic syndrome. To treat throat neurosis, which manifests itself as hypochondria (constant worry about the possibility of contracting a serious illness), antipsychotics are used. If the cause of throat neurosis is a disease of the cervical spine, neurologists at the Yusupov Hospital treat it using medications, physiotherapeutic procedures and modern rehabilitation methods. In some cases, manual therapy is performed.
Psychotherapeutic techniques include hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychological correction techniques are aimed at teaching the patient effective ways to relax. Treatment has the following goals:
- Leading the patient to understand the true causes of the pathology;
- Identification of psychotraumatic factors;
- Eliminating them or learning to adapt to them.
Children suffering from neurosis of the throat and larynx are observed by several specialists: an otolaryngologist, a psychologist, a speech therapist (depending on age). Correct parental behavior increases the effectiveness of treatment. Most of the psychogenic factors that cause neuroses in children come from home.
Children with throat neurosis undergo restorative therapy, which includes vitamin complexes and mild sedatives. During the treatment of throat neurosis in a child, it is important to suppress obvious physical symptoms. When there is a sore throat, children are prescribed rinses, inhalations, absorbable tablets, and medications that increase the level of immunity. For infectious diseases, dekasan or trachysan are prescribed.
Psychotherapy for children involves classes on general development, training in relaxation techniques, which include breathing exercises. Babies receive a full body massage aimed at finding blocks and relaxing them. Psychotherapists recommend that parents change the psychogenic situation at home, reconsider their behavioral reactions and correct them. It is important that the child follows a daily routine. He needs to introduce healthy foods into his diet, enriched with vitamins and minerals.
A child with neurosis of the pharynx and larynx should be treated carefully. There is no need to scold him, but hysterics must be stopped immediately. With neurosis, a spasm of the throat is often observed. During an attack, it is necessary to help the child cope with the situation, calm him down, and explain how to breathe correctly.
