Common Causes
The sensation of a foreign body in the throat may appear directly in the process of eating. In this case, the cause is most likely a piece of food stuck in the throat. Dry or poorly chewed food can get stuck in the throat. Also, eating fruits and vegetables with peels, seeds, fish with a lot of small bones increases the likelihood of a feeling that a foreign body is stuck in the throat. In this case, it often occurs as accompanying symptoms:
- coughing;
- sore throat;
- pain in the nasopharynx;
- nausea and vomiting.
As a first aid, it is recommended to drink a large amount of liquid, or try to push through the stuck object with coarser food. In such situations, it is advisable to use viscous products such as yogurt or kefir. A stuck bone can also interfere in the throat and cause discomfort; in this case, tweezers are used to remove it. If the above recommendations do not bring a positive result, you should seek help from a specialist.
Most often in childhood, there are cases of swallowing various objects. Children taste everything, so small toys, household items, medications, and the like can get stuck in the child's throat. However, even in adults, the feeling that something is stuck in the throat can be caused by swallowing, for example, pins or needles, which are often held by seamstresses with their lips. If something like this got into your throat, you can try to remove the foreign object yourself, if it doesn't work out, consult a doctor. It is impossible to hesitate with medical help if:
- an object in the throat makes breathing difficult;
- a needle or sharp pin is stuck in your throat;
- a toxic object, such as a battery or pill, has entered your throat;
- a pair or more magnets act as a foreign object.
Vomiting is one of the most common causes of feeling like something is stuck. Small pieces of food, as well as irritation of the pharyngeal mucosa by the acidic environment in the stomach, often causes the sensation of something stuck in the throat. In this case, a little drunk liquid, as well as gargling with a soda solution, quickly relieve an unpleasant symptom.
Swallowing pills is often a problem for many people. In this case, the sensation that something is stuck in the throat arises due to:
- not enough liquid to swallow the tablet;
- too large a drug;
- nervousness and fear of the swallowing process itself.
Sometimes the pill or capsule is so large that a person is afraid when swallowing, thereby causing a spasm of the muscles of the nasopharynx and further aggravating the situation.
Important! The drug can get stuck in the larynx if the throat is not hydrated enough or the tablet is swallowed without water.
Therefore, even in the instructions for many drugs, you can find recommendations for their use. So, some tablets must be swallowed whole, while others are allowed to first be divided into pieces, chewed or crushed into powder. In order to get rid of an unpleasant symptom in this case, you must try to push the pill further down the esophagus, drinking it with plenty of liquid.
Causes of the sensation of a foreign object
Often the presence of a foreign object is illusory. The person experiences the sensation that something is stuck in the throat, while in reality there are no foreign objects in the throat. Among the main reasons causing the feeling of a foreign body are:
- viral and bacterial infections of the nasopharynx;
- allergic reactions;
- problems in the digestive system;
- pathology of the spine, especially the cervical spine;
- thyroid problems;
- neurological disorders;
- excess weight;
- vegetative dystonia;
- complications after taking medications.
A common infectious disease can cause the feeling of a foreign object. Often, with diseases of the nasopharynx, an inflammatory process occurs, accompanied by edema of the mucous throat, purulent plaque, which causes a feeling of constriction.
The palatine tonsils can increase as a result of frequent illnesses or against the background of chronic diseases, which also causes the sensation of a foreign object, as well as difficulties in swallowing food and saliva.
Allergic reactions can cause burning and perspiration in the throat, which often gives the impression of the presence of a foreign body.
The feeling that something is stuck in the throat can also occur as a result of psycho-emotional overload, as a result of stress, nervous experiences, depression, fears and increased anxiety. In this case, an unpleasant feeling appears and disappears spontaneously. In this case, a feeling of constriction and pain may not affect the entire throat, but be localized, for example, only on the right or left. The symptom disappears after complete calming, while the feeling does not go away even after drinking a lot of water and gargling.
If, after a strong nervous shock, a person experiences a sensation of a foreign object in his throat, it is necessary to seek help from a neurologist.
Digestive system problems can also cause throat tightness. In this case, the pathology may be accompanied by:
- a burning sensation in the esophagus;
- belching;
- stomach pain;
- upset digestion.
If the sensation of a foreign object in the throat is accompanied by these symptoms, then most often the patient is diagnosed with a hernia, gastroesophageal reflux, and esophageal pathology. Sometimes on the contrary, 
diagnostic procedures, for example, endoscopic examination, can cause microtrauma due to which there is a feeling of tightness in the throat. In this case, no treatment is required, healing occurs without assistance.
Cancers that affect the larynx, pharynx or esophagus cause discomfort in the pharyngeal region, causing pain, perspiration, and a feeling of a foreign object. The patient has difficulty swallowing. For help in this case, you need to contact an oncologist.
Important! Some blood pressure lowering drugs, antiallergic medications, and other medications can make you feel like a foreign object in your throat.
Diagnostics and treatment
In order to establish the true cause of the feeling of tightness in the throat, it is necessary to consult a therapist. After the examination, the doctor can make a diagnosis, however, consultation with other specialists is often required, for example, a neurologist, oncologist, surgeon, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist and others. In addition to a general examination, it is often necessary to carry out a number of additional diagnostic procedures:
- to pass a clinical analysis of blood and urine, an analysis for hormones;
- ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland and esophagus;
- radiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the cervical spine.
Only after a thorough examination will the doctor be able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe an effective treatment.
What can you do to help a person get rid of the sensation of a foreign object in their throat? The correct solution would be to eliminate the cause that caused the unpleasant symptom.
If infectious diseases are the cause of the unpleasant feeling, then medical treatment should be started immediately, aimed at combating the virus that caused the disease. In the case of bacterial infections, complex treatment is prescribed using:
- antibiotics;
- fever medications, usually based on ibuprofen or paracetamol;
- rinsing with antiseptic agents: furacilin solution, soda-saline solution, chamomile decoction.
Treatment for neurological disorders is based on:
- normalization of sleep and wakefulness;
- exclusion of situations that provoke stress;
- drug therapy using antidepressants.
When problems are identified in the work of the thyroid gland, a feeling of tightness in the throat may be the result of a lack of iodine in the body. In this case, hormonal therapy is used to normalize the functioning of the gland, as well as iodine preparations to replenish its lack.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine also requires drug treatment, but usually this is not the only therapy. This is the case when the patient needs to undergo a number of additional procedures, for example, acupuncture, massage.
If the patient experiences an illusory sensation of the presence of a foreign body in the throat, the symptom can only be removed by eliminating the cause that caused it. However, if you cannot endure at all, you can use distracting procedures, such as rinsing with decoctions of medicinal herbs (chamomile, calendula), warm drinks (mint tea, motherwort decoction), irrigation of the throat with antiseptic sprays.
