Lump in throat feeling

This unpleasant phenomenon has troubled many people around the globe. Mainly, it manifests through a sensation of having a lump in your throat, causing you difficulties while swallowing. Naturally, the symptoms may vary, and there can be many different ones behind this condition, some more serious than others.

The same goes for the possible causes of this problem. There can be many, from something easy to treat, all the way to certain serious, underlying diseases. Thus, it is very important to know how to identify the symptoms and recognize this phenomenon once it affects you. This way, you will know when to seek medical help or how to react timely and correct.

Manifestations of Lump in Throat

Most of the symptoms affect the part of your throat located under Adam's apple or the voice box. There you are bound to feel pain and discomfort, getting worse while swallowing. Also, you will have a strange sensation of having some kind of obstruction even though nothing is inside your throat at the moment.

You might experience chest pain, combined with serious pain affecting the spot where the lump seems to be, producing a strange sound while swallowing, causing you to feel as if there is a lack of space in this part of your throat.

Moreover, you might have problems talking and swallowing saliva, even though food will go through your throat smoothly. Finally, in some cases, you might even experience the worsening of some or all of the present symptoms when you are exposed to mental or physical stress. All in all, the symptoms are many, and they can vary in intensity and frequency.

Globus pharyngeus is a subjective complaint that refers to the generic sensation of a lump in the throat. It is a symptom that has been plaguing people since time immemorial. It was first described by Hippocrates 2500 years ago. And despite this long history the etiology and most effective treatments remain a mystery. The sensation is usually most bothersome when swallowing without oral intake. The precise mechanism of globus development remains enigmatic.

A retrospective chart review was performed to identify all new patients evaluated at a tertiary academic care laryngology practice between January 2018 and December 2018 presenting with a chief complaint of globus. Variables of interest include age, gender, laryngeal symptoms, self-reported quality-of-life questionnaire results, and laryngostroboscopy findings. Questionnaires selected for this investigation include the reflux symptom index (RSI), eating assessment tool-10 (EAT-10), and voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10).
All new patient visits during the 1-year period were reviewed, those with “globus,” or “something stuck in the throat” listed as the chief complaint were included. This generated a total of 341 patients.
Two hundred twenty-eight subjects with an average age of 54 ±17 years, were categorized based on one of three laryngostroboscopic findings: absence of vocal fold abnormality, vocal fold paresis/paralysis (motion abnormality), or a vocal fold mass lesion.
Fifty percent of patients reporting globus had a normal laryngeal exam, and 50% had a mass lesion or motion abnormality. Twenty five percent had vocal fold motion abnormality (paresis, paralysis, or supraglottic squeeze); 19% had a mass lesion; and 3% had both a lesion and motion abnormality.
The average self-reported survey scores were compared among the three groups. Patients with dysphonia had a significantly higher VHI-10 (P = 0.00), and a significantly higher RSI (P = 0.00) than those without dysphonia. Those patients with dysphagia had significantly higher EAT-10 (P = 0.00) and RSI (P = 0.02) scores than those who did not have dysphagia. Patients with vocal fold motion abnormality had significantly higher VHI-10 than those with normal vocal fold mobility (P = 0.02)

✓ Fact confirmed: Is there Really a Lump in My Throat? The Incidence and Implication of Vocal fold Abnormalities in Patients Presenting with Globus Courtney B. Shires, Karuna Dewan; 3 July 2022

What Causes Lump in Throat and What Treatments Are Possible?

Most often, a lump in the throat feeling is triggered by either a pulled muscle in the throat or some kind of infection or inflammation.

If you happen to have experienced excessive muscle straining mentioned above, you should have no fear since this is not a serious disease. It usually heals in time, and all you need to do is take it easy on your throat and avoid irritation. However, it is best to have your throat checked by your doctor to rule out other diseases. Alternatively, your doctor may prescribe you some muscle relaxants which will help you feel better during your recovery process.

Another common cause of this condition is acid reflux. Here, your diet is causing your stomach acids to flow oppositely, ending up in your throat and mouth. These acids can damage these parts and cause pain and irritation, along with the above-mentioned symptoms. Treatment involves diet changes and specific medications.

Finally, stress is also one of the major causes of a lump feeling in the throat. Thus, learn how to control your anxiety levels or use some medications made for these purposes.