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What Causes Feeling Of A Lump In The Throat?

Posted on Wed, 8 Mar 2017

Question: I had a CT scan for my cervical spondylosis. I am 56 years old male. The scan found that one side of my cricoid cartilage is different than the other. Left is small and hollow. The right is full and dense. The side that is smalleler and misshaped clicks and pops on palpation. I have pain on turning my neck and in lying in certain positions. I can feel a lump in my throat all the time. I'm ok eating food and drinking. This pain has been going on for 3 months since I had an atlas correction which cured my dizziness. The symptoms in my throat happened within ours of that correction procedure. That procedure involved an osteopath using a vibrating tool to relax the muscles and rotating / tilting the atlas back in place. The CT scan I had said that the craniocervical junction appeared normal

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (45 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Lump in throat sensation

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Welcome to HealthcareMagic and thanks for putting up the query
Sir the difference in the both sides of cricoid cartilage might be due to age related changes that occur with ageing of the cartilage tissue. With age it gets denser.
The feeling of a lump in throat is probably not related to your surgery. In cases with no problem with eating and swallowing it is mostly due to gastric reflux that you are appreciating more after your surgery. The pain might be due to that only.
My advise to you is please get an endoscopic examination of the throat done. If the findings are normal, nothing else is to be done. Take an antacid like pantoprazole 40 mg once daily. The medicine will be available only on prescription.
Avoid spicy foods and aerated drinks.
Drink plenty of water.
Any further questions are always welcome.

Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy

Follow up: Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (47 minutes later)

Thank you. The surgery you refer to - was not surgery merely a muscle massage/relaxing that supposedly corrects the C1 atlas position.
I have had A laryngoscopy with ENT and a barium swallow. ENT showed a little redness - maybe as result of reflux and barium swallow showed tertiary contractions
I am most concerned about the fact that the front of my neck is very sensitive to touch and my spine specialist said the popping and cracking of the cricoid cartilage wasn't normal. I have breathing problems when lying down and cannot move my neck in certain positions without being in pain and feeling like I'm being strangled or choked in my throat around the cricoid area.
I am a singer and I am concerned that I have dislocated or fractured my cricoid cartilage?

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (40 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Lump in the throat sensation

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for contacting again
Sir any fracture of cricoid cartilage will cause pain everytime you will swallow. you said your CT scan was normal, so any fracture is unlikely. Still you can send me your CT films, I can review and will suggest.
The crackling sound on moving the cricoid sideways manually is a normal phenomenon.
Tertiary contractions are age related and they can be a cause for reflux.
Sir please follow the anti reflux measures and take the medicines, you will definitely be benefited.
Please send me your ct scan pictures.

Take care
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng

Follow up: Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (20 minutes later)

I should get a copy of the CT scan today. The scan was for my cervical neck to monitor ongoing disc protrusions into my spinal chord - C4/5/6/7. I had been complaining to my Specialists that I had this constant pain in my throat at the cricoid area. The CT scan incidentally showed that the cricoid area was somewhat vague on one side - the side where it is painful.
I cannot lie on my back or face down without getting a worse pain in my throat or get the choking / strangulation feeling.

My question is why am I getting the choking feeling in certain body positions and on light exercise? I never had this sensation at all before I had the neck correction

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (35 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Lump in throat sensation

Detailed Answer:
Hello sir
Cricoid is a complete ring so it can't collapse in any dimension causing choking.
The pain and finding in Ct are unrelated and coincidental. The pain can be due to neck muscle spasm in a certain neck position. You are having problem while lying down also so You should consult your orthopaedician for that. The larynx is not the cause at all.
For stress related choking and breathing problem, get a ECG done to rule out any cardiac cause.

Please tell me if you have any more queries

I hope my answer helps you out.
Thanks and regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj

Follow up: Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (34 hours later)

I have been told my hyoid bone is very high and all the muscles attaching it are tight. Do you think this could be the single reason why I get a choking sensation that is worse on lying down and raising my neck?

Answered by Dr. Priyanka Aggarwal (7 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Lump in throat sensation

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for contacting again
Sir there is a syndrome reported called humid bone syndrome. Your symptoms can be explained with that. Please consult your doctor regarding this. It can be diagnosed only on examination. The treatment is a local anaesthetic or steroid injection over hyoid.
Partial hyoidectomy is an option but there can be post operative swallowing problem.
The earlier mentioned treatment has no major complications.

Any further questions are always welcome
Take care
Thanks and regards

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Kampana