Feeling of something stuck in throat

Reference Number: HEY-208/2018
Departments: ENT
Last Updated: 1 August 2018

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This leaflet has been produced to give you general information about your condition. Most of your questions should be answered by this leaflet. However, it is not meant to replace the discussion between you and your doctor or therapist, but may act as a starting point for discussion. If after reading it you have any concerns or require further explanation, please discuss this with a member of the healthcare team.

What is Globus Sensation?

Globus sensation is a term used to describe the feeling of a lump in the throat where no true lump exists. It is extremely common and may be associated with hoarseness of voice.

What causes it?

Causes of globus may be different in different individuals. One common cause is increased tension in the muscles of the throat. There may also be irritation or swelling of the tissues lining the throat or an altered perception of how the throat feels. Globus may be associated with:

Stress and Anxiety
Globus can often be experienced by individuals at times of stress or anxiety. It often occurs when holding back strong feelings or emotions.

Acid Reflux
Laryngopharyngeal reflux, also referred to as ‘silent reflux’ is a condition in which the stomach acids travel up the food pipe and into the throat. It can be difficult to detect as individuals often do not get the symptoms of heartburn or indigestion, but it is commonly associated with chronic throat clearing, voice change and globus sensation.

Cervical Spondylitis
Some sufferers of this condition may experience globus due to increased tension in the neck and throat muscles.

Other causes
Other causes can include; medication side effects or other medical problems such as; an enlarged thyroid gland.

How is Globus Sensation diagnosed?

Globus is usually diagnosed through discussions with you about your throat symptoms. These discussions may suggest possible causes of the globus. It is likely that you will have been examined by an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist in order to rule out any physical cause.

What is the treatment for Globus Sensation?

The treatment can be tailored specifically to the individual who is experiencing these symptoms and may include the following:

Reassurance that there is no underlying disease
Vocal hygiene advice
Medication may be advised if there is evidence of acid reflux
Voice therapy with a Speech and Language Therapist may be recommended, if there is an associated hoarseness of voice

What can I do to help ease my symptoms?

Vocal hygiene

Drink more water, a minimum of 1.5 litres (3 pints) per day in addition to any tea/coffee/cola. Flavouring water with cordial may help you increase your intake. Continual sipping is most beneficial, because swallowing helps to relax the throat.
Avoid drinking more than 4 cups of coffee/tea/cola per day. Not only do these drinks have a drying effect on the throat, but they can act as a diuretic, causing extra water loss from your body via your urine.
Stop any bad habits, such as shouting, raising your voice or throat clearing (swallow instead). These behaviours create unnecessary tension in the throat and can lead to globus sensation.

Anti-reflux treatment

Take the appropriate anti-reflux treatment for gastric reflux, if this has been identified as a cause of your problem.

Managing stress

Examine ways in which you could achieve this. Do your symptoms worsen in specific situations or at specific times of the day? Take time out to work specifically on relaxation.

Specific exercises

You may find the following beneficial provided you have no medical condition affecting the neck, shoulders or spine. If so, you should consult your doctor or physiotherapist first:

Exercise 1 – Neck and Shoulders

Drop your chin down towards your chest; hold it there for about 10 seconds before raising back to centre.
Drop your head sideways towards your shoulder, keeping your shoulders straight. Hold it for 10 seconds before raising back to centre. Repeat on the opposite side.
Shrug your shoulders up to your ears. Hold the position for a few seconds and then relax, dropping your shoulders to their resting position. Repeat this 5 times.
Hold your arms out in front of you, as if you are pushing something away from you. Stretch out as far as you can. Gently drop your arms to your sides as you relax. Repeat this 3 times.
Push your shoulders forwards as if attempting to make them meet at the front. Push your shoulder blades backwards as if attempting to make them meet at the back. Relax and repeat 5 times.

Exercise 2 – Abdominal Breathing

Sit comfortably in a chair and place your hands on your tummy.
Blow out sharply, as if blowing up a balloon. As you blow out, your tummy and hands should move in.
Your shoulders and upper chest should be still and relaxed. At the end of the breath out, relax your tummy; it should expand naturally, allowing your lungs to re-inflate.
When you feel comfortable with this technique, produce a soft /sss/ sound on the out-breath.

Exercise 3 – Yawn / Sigh

Yawning is a very good technique for relaxing the muscles in the throat. As the name suggests, you yawn on an in-breath and softly release a sigh on an out-breath.

Exercise 4 – Chewing method

This technique is used to relax tight jaws or tongues. Imagine you are chewing a toffee by moving your lips, tongue and jaw in a smooth, circular motion. Imagine the toffee is getting bigger and bigger so the movements in your mouth will need to get bigger and bigger.

Exercise 5 – Tongue movement

Moving your tongue slowly around the outside of your teeth with your lips closed also helps to get rid of tension from the larynx (voice box). Do this 10 times one way, then 10 times the other for one minute several times per day.

If, after trying these suggestions, your symptoms persist or new symptoms appear, please contact your GP

Should you require any further advice on the issues contained in this leaflet, please do not hesitate to contact The Speech and Language Therapy Department on (01482) 604331.

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A lot of patients come to me with the complaint of something stuck inside the throat. You can have a sensation that is something that is stuck in the throat mainly due to two conditions- dysphagia and globus pharyngeus treated as ENT Disease. There can be other reasons, but we’ll come to that a little later.

Dysphagia

The condition due to which you are unable to swallow food down the throat is known as dysphagia. The most common cause due to which dysphagia occurs is the food getting stuck in the esophagus while eating. This is a potentially dangerous condition as the food stuck can make the airways blocked, leaving the person gasping for breath.

Globus Pharyngeus

At times a person might get a sensation that something is stuck in your throat, even when nothing is. While the feeling is not usually painful, it can be irritating. The feeling is called a globus sensation.

It is a constant feeling that something is stuck in the throat. Although it does not cause any difficulty in swallowing or interfere with breathing, it can become annoying and often lead to anxiety. This is because people may feel that they are choking on something or about to.

The global sensation and other throat problems are different. In this condition, there is no actual lump in the throat while in other problems, such as tonsillitis, a lump can be felt.

It is believed that this condition develops due to anxiety and psychological symptoms. Usually, after drinking and eating, the feeling of something stuck in the throat subsides.

Also Read: 10 Most Common Causes for Sore throat

How to Remove Something Stuck In My Throat?

Unfortunately, there is no particular treatment to get rid of the feeling of something inside the throat. As a profession, we suggest that when one feels that something is stuck in your throat, one must not use their fingers to remove the object because it can lead to the object being pushed down to the throat and cause damage.

Here are a few home remedies that you can try to get rid of the feeling of something stuck inside the throat or the chest.

Drinking soda or fresh lemonade helps quite often. The carbonated drink will cause the walls of your throat to expand outwards and simultaneously the liquid will help push the object down the stomach. It’s a simple and effective remedy. Also, the drink breaks the food particles or releases gas that can help in dislodging the food.
Drink Water
If you have food stuck down your throat, drinking water helps or even having moist food can help push the food down to the esophagus. Usually, the saliva helps to break down food particles and lubricates the food to pass through the esophagus easily. When it feels like something is stuck in the throat, drinking extra sips of water can moisten the stuck food.
As banana is slippery, eating it can help in passing the stuck food easily. In some cases, taking a bite of bread can also dislodge the food.
In most cases, the food passes on its own over some time. So, you wait and watch for some time. However, the feeling of something stuck in the throat and chest may be present for a couple of days.
To force the object out of your mouth one can try the Heimlich maneuver (abdominal thrusts) on themselves by pressing your gut down on a tough surface and blowing out your mouth with your nose closed.

Other remedies that you can try are- eating slowly, take small bites or be careful while eating meat. Always consult an ENT when home remedies don’t work. Don’t take any unprescribed medication to avoid complications.

How does it feel like when something is stuck inside the throat?

Patients often report that they have a feeling that they are trying to swallow something but it’s stuck in the middle, not going anywhere.

Getting something stuck in your throat, clogging your windpipe, and making it hard to eat or breathe is something that happens more often than people usually give it credit for. Sometimes you gag or cough to take out the food stuck. Other than that, you can also have severe chest pain or have excessive drooling.

However, when you notice the following symptoms, get medical attention as quickly as possible. This is important as these indicate the possibility of choking.

You are unable to speak
There is difficulty breathing
The breathing is noisy
You make sounds when you try to breathe
Coughing continually
Your face turns pale or bluish
Gradually become unconscious

Other Factors Due To Which You Can Feel Something Is Stuck In the Throat

Apart from dysphagia or globus pharyngeus, I have also come across patients who felt something is stuck in the throat due to other reasons. Certain medication or medical conditions can lead to a dry throat causing the feeling that something is stuck in the throat.

Commonly, this is caused by acid reflux, when stomach contents tend to travel back to the food pipe and the inflammation from the acid causes muscle spasms that lead to Globus Sensation. It is called Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease or GERD. Taking anti-reflux medications helps in this case.

For some people, psychological mood swings can also lead to the feeling of “lump in the throat”. Anxiety or depression can cause dryness in the throat and a feeling that something is stuck in it. Drinking water and relaxing help with alleviating this phantom feeling.

Tonsil infections are also a common cause of this feeling. At times, even after receiving treatment for tonsils and taking antibiotics, the pain reduces but tonsils can remain enlarged. If this enlargement of tonsils is bothersome and prolonged, you may have to consider a Tonsillectomy surgery that removes tonsils completely. If one of the underlying causes of something stuck in the throat is recurrent tonsil infections, then visit Pristyn Care clinics to get the most effective treatment.

Cold or flu can lead to pharyngitis or sore throat. It causes pain and irritation in the throat and makes swallowing food harder. This can be treated by the simple home remedy of drinking warm water or gargling with salt water. One may also take a dose of paracetamol ibuprofen to help.

Also Read: Home Remedies For Sore Throat

In this condition, the food pipe inflames when certain food items are eaten. This a common condition in people who are suffering from food allergies.

Is the feeling of something stuck in my throat serious?

Yes, the sensation of something stuck in the throat is quite serious and not to be neglected. If you feel something is stuck in the throat, especially due to food obstruction, then it can be very dangerous. This is so because the food stuck can slip onto the wind piper and cut off the air supply. Also, if the symptoms continue to get worse, get medical help immediately. Moreover, leaving the condition untreated can cause irritation, inflammation, or even erosion.

After trying these remedies, if you feel distressed or unable to swallow the saliva, then get hold of your nearest medical help immediately. Using an endoscopic procedure, the actual cause can be determined precisely, and hence, treatment can be administered accordingly.