Learn About Painful Swallowing
Painful swallowing is any pain or discomfort while swallowing. You may feel it high in the neck or lower down behind the breastbone. Most often, the pain feels like a strong sensation of squeezing or burning. Painful swallowing may be a symptom of a serious disorder.
Swallowing - pain or burning; Odynophagia; Burning feeling when swallowing, dysphagia
Swallowing involves many nerves and muscles in the mouth, throat area, and food pipe (esophagus). Part of swallowing is voluntary. This means you are aware of controlling the action. However, much of swallowing is involuntary once it starts.
Problems at any point in the swallowing process (including chewing, moving food to the back of the mouth, or moving it to the stomach) can result in painful swallowing.
Swallowing problems can cause symptoms such as:
- Chest pain
- Feeling of food stuck in the throat
- Heaviness or pressure in the neck or upper chest while eating
Swallowing problems may be due to infections, such as:
- Cytomegalovirus
- Gum disease (gingivitis)
- Herpes simplex virus
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Pharyngitis (sore throat)
- Thrush (yeast infection of the mouth)
- Yeast infection of the esophagus
Swallowing problems may be due to a problem with the esophagus, such as:
- Achalasia
- Esophageal spasms
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Inflammation of the esophagus
- Nutcracker esophagus
- Ulcer in the esophagus, especially due to tetracyclines (antibiotic), aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or naproxen
- Eosinophilic esophagitis
Other causes of swallowing problems include:
- Mouth or throat ulcers
- Something stuck in the throat (for example, fish or chicken bones)
- Tooth infection or abscess
Some tips that may help you to ease swallowing pain at home include:
- Eat slowly and chew your food well.
- Eat pureed foods or liquids if solid foods are hard to swallow.
- Avoid very cold or very hot foods if they make your symptoms worse.
If someone is choking, immediately perform the Heimlich maneuver.
Contact your health care provider if you have painful swallowing and:
- Blood in your stools or your stools appear black or tarry
- Shortness of breath or lightheadedness
- Weight loss
Tell your provider about any other symptoms that occur with the painful swallowing, including:
- Abdominal pain
- Chills
- Cough
- Fever
- Heartburn
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sour taste in the mouth
- Wheezing
Your provider will examine you and ask about your medical history and symptoms, including:
- Do you have pain when swallowing solids, liquids, or both?
- Is the pain constant or does it come and go?
- Is the pain getting worse?
- Do you have difficulty swallowing?
- Do you have a sore throat?
- Does it feel like there is a lump in your throat?
- Have you inhaled or swallowed any irritating substances?
- What other symptoms do you have?
- What other health problems do you have?
- What medicines do you take?
The following tests may be done:
- Endoscopy with biopsy
- Barium swallow and upper GI series
- Chest x-ray
- Esophageal pH monitoring (measures acid in the esophagus)
- Esophageal manometry (measures pressure in the esophagus)
- Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
- HIV testing
- Neck x-ray
- Throat culture
Advocate Medical Group Gastroenterology
Hareth Raddawi is a Gastroenterologist in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Dr. Raddawi is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Painful Swallowing. His top areas of expertise are Gastrointestinal Bleeding, Bile Duct Obstruction, Cholestasis, Gastrectomy, and Endoscopy.
Proliance Surgeons
Craig Villari, MD, is a board-certified otolaryngologist. He treats a broad spectrum of ear, nose, and throat conditions in both adults and children. He has a special interest in caring for voice, airway, and swallowing concerns and is a post-graduate member of the American Laryngologic Society. He takes great pride in making sure his patients understand their diagnoses and treatment options.Dr. Villari grew up in Buffalo, New York but spent other parts of his childhood in Saint Louis, Missouri and Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated summa cum laude from Emory University where he also completed medical training and otolaryngology residency. He completed an extra year of subspecialty training in laryngology at the University of California, San Francisco and then practiced for four years at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, serves as a peer-reviewer for top journals, and has been an invited national and international speaker for his field.He lives on the Eastside with his wife, their son, daughter, and basset hound, Pickles. Outside of medicine, he enjoys reading, golf, and following professional sports. He's a Kraken fan and optimistic the NBA will make a return to the Emerald City. Dr. Villari is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Painful Swallowing. His top areas of expertise are Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Throat Cancer, and Laryngectomy.
Regents Of The University Of California
Philip Weissbrod is an Otolaryngologist in San Diego, California. Dr. Weissbrod is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Painful Swallowing. His top areas of expertise are Throat Cancer, Laryngeal Cancer, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Laryngectomy, and Endoscopy.
Published Date: August 07, 2023
Published By: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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Wilcox CM. Gastrointestinal consequences of infection with human immunodeficiency virus. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology/Diagnosis/Management. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 35.