People often experience a lump in the throat. Everyone has experienced this feeling at least once in their life. The feeling of a lump in the throat most often occurs without physical reasons, after experiencing stress. At some point, you notice that something is bothering your throat or starting to feel sore.
For some people, this feeling remains for a long time and even begins to cause discomfort when swallowing. In this case, other accompanying symptoms may occur, for example, sleep disturbances, increased levels of anxiety, decreased mood, etc. But there is no need to rush to conclusions and think about the presence of some complex, incurable disease or physical damage.
In the vast majority of cases, this feeling has psychological roots, and treating a lump in the throat is not difficult and responds well to therapy. However, in advanced cases, when it is not treated correctly or the process is prolonged or untreated for a long time, complications develop. Therefore, in order to undergo high-quality therapy and get rid of a lump in the throat, it is necessary to undergo a psychological differential diagnosis.
We carry out full differential diagnosis and treatment, which is completely successful in more than 90% of cases. There are many different options for disruption of higher nervous activity and the formation of sensations of a lump in the throat.
Our slogan is from quality diagnosis to complete recovery!
Find out what may be causing that lump in your throat! When is a complex disorder likely to occur? What to do when you feel a lump in your throat?
What can cause a lump in the throat?
The sensation of a lump in the throat occurs as a result of the occurrence of any disease. However, the most common cases are when a lump in the throat is felt after suffering stress or experiences. The feeling of having a lump in the larynx, if associated with psychological reasons, does not pose a health risk. It is not uncommon for this feeling to go away on its own within ten days or a week. However, when this sensation occurs, discomfort often occurs. Depending on individual characteristics, this inconvenience may be felt in different ways. Incorrect identification of the causes and ignorance of the factors that form this sensation often leads to serious consequences and speculation.
How does a lump in your throat feel?
- lump in throat while eating or after eating;
- sensation of a lump in the larynx throughout the day;
- sore throat and feeling that something is bothering you;
- a lump in the throat seems to interfere with breathing, which often leads to panic;
- a burning sensation or other unpleasant feeling appears in the throat area.
More than 90% of complaints about a lump in the throat are due to so-called psychogenic causes. This symptomatology is often associated with high psycho-emotional or psychophysical overload. In the modern world, we encounter such overloads every day, often several times a day. At work, in transport, in shops, at home. But this feeling does not appear for everyone. Why does this happen and why doesn’t it happen to everyone?
This phenomenon has been well studied, and a competent doctor will always be able to correctly understand and provide assistance, independently or refer you to a specialized specialist. Conditions in which this feeling may appear can occur in both men and women of any age. However, people of the most productive, working age are the most vulnerable. In people between 25 and 50 years of age, these complaints are most common.
Which doctor should I contact?
Since the causes of a lump in the throat are different, you can first consult a general practitioner. Based on complaints and physical examination data, he will prescribe appropriate diagnostic tests and refer the patient to a specialized specialist.
You can also try to determine on your own when this unpleasant feeling arose and what its symptoms are, and then visit the appropriate specialist:
- neurologist - if the feeling occurs against the background of fatigue, insomnia or nervous stress, is paroxysmal in nature, and its duration does not exceed several minutes;
- otolaryngologist - if, in addition to the sensation of a foreign body, the patient is bothered by pain when swallowing, redness of the throat or fever;
- gastroenterologist - the patient is worried about heartburn, sour belching, a feeling of heaviness after eating, painful sensations in the stomach or esophagus, and the feeling does not go away for several days;
- endocrinologist - if the patient also experiences symptoms such as hoarseness, attacks of dry cough, decreased performance and libido, difficulty breathing, attacks of dizziness, decreased or increased salivation, gastrointestinal disturbances;
- oncologist - for prolonged weakness, increased fatigue, weight loss and a feeling of fullness in the neck that does not go away within several days;
- a vertebrologist or neurologist - if the patient is also concerned about pain in the spine, headaches, blurred vision, numbness of the extremities, poor sleep, a feeling of pins and needles in the upper and lower extremities.
When does a lump in the throat appear?
The modern world constantly requires high mental and energy costs from a person. However, our nervous system, just like other organs, requires various types of rest. But the intensity of life does not always and does not allow everyone to pause and give the necessary rest. We try to do everything everywhere and in time. We often eat incorrectly or insufficiently, disrupt our biological rhythm, and do not have enough time to sleep. It is not uncommon for all this to be aggravated by the consumption of alcohol, energy drinks, other psychoactive substances, and even smoking regular tobacco.
Due to all these factors that accumulate over a period of time, at some point the nervous system becomes especially vulnerable. At such moments, not even a high psychological load or some chemical factor (for example, not even a large dose of alcohol) can “break” the normal, biological metabolic process of the brain. This may coincide with a spasm of the throat muscles, which many times could pass without a trace or go unnoticed. But, at this moment of breakdown of the nervous system, this spasm is recorded and “remembered” by it as a “pathology”. It is from this moment that a person begins to fixate his attention on the sensation of a lump in the throat, and the nervous system creates a “ghost” of the lump. And since all this is associated with a violation of the metabolic processes of the brain and is recorded in disturbances in the transmission of information, the sensation of a lump in the throat is not only recorded by consciousness, but also begins to progress, causing a lot of inconvenience.
When to see a doctor
It is important to know that the psychogenic causes of a lump in the throat are not dangerous to the physical condition. However, this does not mean that no complications will occur and there is no need to consult a doctor. This feeling itself rarely goes away. If the feeling of a lump in the throat does not have real somatic reasons and does not go away within 2-5 days, then we recommend that you consult a psychotherapist after this period.
We recommend seeing your GP on the day this feeling starts, but no later than the next day. This is due to the fact that such symptoms can accompany some truly dangerous diseases.
The main reason for this is that emergency medical attention may be required. Situations are especially dangerous if swelling, some kind of tumor, pain in the throat or chest, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing appears within a short time. This may be a sign of a more serious problem. The doctor will refer you to a specialized specialist; additional hardware or laboratory tests may be needed.
However, if the studies do not show anything significant or acute, then this means that the cause is psychogenic and you need to go to a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of somatic diseases.
Another, no less significant reason is that the sensation of a lump in the throat is only a signal from your body about the onset of a problem with the nervous system. If a person does not receive full medical care in a short time, the breakdown of the nervous system begins to progress. Complications begin to form and symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fears, obsessive thoughts and others may gradually begin to appear. To avoid complications, you need to contact a good psychotherapist or psychiatrist as soon as possible.
Lump in throat treatment
Treatment for a lump in the throat is not always straightforward or typical. The form of nervous system breakdown and the individual characteristics of each person do not imply standards. Accordingly, treatment cannot have standards and typical techniques for different people.
Therefore, therapy in our clinic is selected only individually, and standard techniques are adapted to each individual. The general therapeutic regimen can be defined as complex therapy.
How to treat a feeling of a lump in the throat
- Neurometabolic therapy;
- Psychotherapy;
- Diet, depending on severity;
- Individual daily routine;
- Additional techniques are possible (individually).
Our individual therapy always ends in complete victory over the problem. We help you get rid of the lump in your throat forever. However, if a person does not follow our doctor’s recommendations and violates the regimen or has not completed the entire therapeutic course, the treatment will be less effective and the sensation may return.
Diagnostics
Otolaryngologists are most often involved in identifying the causes of symptom development. According to indications, patients are referred to dentists, gastroenterologists, neurologists, and other specialists. During the conversation, the doctor finds out how long ago the foreign body sensation appeared, what manifestations were accompanied, and how the symptom changed over time. Conducts a general inspection. Based on the preliminary examination, the following diagnostic procedures can be prescribed:
- Oropharyngoscopy.
Basic research in otolaryngology. This is done using a spatula. Allows you to diagnose high-lying foreign bodies, inflammatory diseases of the tonsils and pharynx, peritonsillar abscess, and some neoplasms. - Endoscopic ENT examinations
. They are carried out using special mirrors, a rigid or flexible laryngoscope. Taking into account the localization of the pathological process, the patient may require pharyngoscopy, laryngoscopy, or endoscopy of the larynx. - Dental examination
. Aimed at detecting diseases of the tongue, neoplasms of the oral cavity, accompanied by a feeling of a foreign body. - Ultrasound of the thyroid gland.
Indicated for suspected endocrine pathology, to exclude organ hypertrophy in patients with pharyngeal neurosis. Reveals diffuse and focal pathological processes. If necessary, supplemented with TSH, T3, T4 studies. - Esophageal studies
. Fluoroscopy data are used in the diagnosis of dyskinesia and GERD. To confirm motility disorders with dyskinesia, esophageal manometry is performed. An esophagoscopy is performed to identify signs of gastroesophageal disease. - Magnetic resonance imaging
. MRI of the soft tissues of the neck is prescribed to exclude tumor processes that cause a foreign body sensation. MRI of the brain is informative in identifying pathologies of the central nervous system that provoke pharyngeal neurosis. - Lab tests
. Depending on the characteristics of the pathological process, microbiological, histological, and cytological studies of material from the larynx and pharynx (smears, biopsies) are performed.
Possible risks
Due to the fact that these sensations are formed as a result of a breakdown of higher nervous activity, this leads to more profound changes. The feeling of a lump in the throat is only the first symptom of the formation of the disease. It is at the onset of the disease that it is easiest to stop and completely cure. Remember that no disease, neither mental nor somatic, stands still. Any disease will continue to develop until it is stopped. Only a complete and correct therapeutic program can stop progress and cure a person. Self-help or self-medication, or incorrect treatment, are dangerous and cause complications. Complications related to the psychogenic causes of the formation of the sensation of a lump in the throat include the following mental states.
Complications of feeling a lump in the throat
- Depression;
- Anxiety disorders;
- Panic attacks;
- Intrusive thoughts;
- Neuroses;
- Phobias;
- Substance addiction;
- Psychosomatic disorders;
- Sexual dysfunctions;
- Aggression and personality disorders;
- Other mental states.
There is no need to endure or be afraid to see a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. We provide treatment on an anonymous basis. You can always contact us anonymously and your data will not be passed on to third parties or government medical institutions. We guarantee your safety.
However, do not forget that complaints about a lump in the throat in 10% of cases are associated with possible physical changes. Such as neck injuries or somatic diseases.
Physical causes of a lump in the throat
- Impact to the neck, injury;
- Entry of a foreign body;
- Diseases of the trachea or esophagus;
- Inflammatory processes in the larynx and oral cavity;
- Stomach diseases;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- Infections;
- Thyroid disease;
- Other somatic disorders.
Where to begin
In this regard, we recommend that you first try to independently differentiate possible changes in your body. Think about whether you have chronic diseases or possible injuries. Go to a specialized specialist. If no acute life-threatening conditions are found, be sure to visit a psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
This is due to the fact that very few doctors are able to determine the psychogenic cause of the feeling of a lump in the throat and will look for a somatic cause of the disorder. Incorrect therapy will create conditions for the further development of nervous system disorders and complications will begin to form. In this case, treating a lump in the throat will be significantly more difficult.
The faster you find the true cause of the lump in the throat, the faster, better and cheaper it will be to get rid of the problem. And most importantly, it will help improve the quality of your life.
Call and make an appointment with our specialists!
Treatment
Pre-hospital assistance
Patients with signs of acute infections and inflammatory diseases of the ENT organs should refrain from consuming irritating mucous membranes, too cold and hot foods and drinks. It is recommended to take large amounts of warm liquid, gargle, and use topical medications. If signs of an allergy appear, you should immediately take an antiallergic drug.
Conservative therapy
Treatment of infections, inflammatory and allergic pathologies is carried out using the following methods:
- Local remedies
. Patients are prescribed antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic drugs that eliminate pain, swelling, and the sensation of a foreign body in the throat. - Antibiotics
. Required for bacterial diseases, not prescribed for viral infections. Until the results of microbiological analysis are obtained, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is used; subsequently, the drug is replaced taking into account the sensitivity of the pathogen. - Antiallergic drugs
. Allergy sufferers are prescribed antihistamines and mast cell membrane stabilizers. - Physiotherapeutic methods
. Drug therapy is supplemented with UHF, inhalations, ultraviolet irradiation, medicinal electrophoresis, and other procedures.
With a rapid increase in swelling of the throat and larynx with the development of asphyxia, emergency tracheal intubation is necessary. Patients with GERD are prescribed a special diet, antacids, proton pump inhibitors, and H2-histamine blockers. For patients with esophageal dyskinesia, fractional meals, nitrates, anticholinergics, and calcium channel blockers are recommended. For hyperthyroidism, thyreostatics are effective. For pharyngeal neurosis, combined techniques are used, including psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
