Cricopharyngeal spasm

[kjarvis15]

Has anyone experienced cricopharyngeal spasm (lump in throat)mine is the lower right side under or near cricoid cartilage. Can't feel a lump but my GP referred me to ENT:ohmy:

[venusbluejeans]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your problem.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

[sporque]

Yes, I see an ENT next Tuesday. I've "self diagnosed" as it's the only thing that matches my symptoms over the last 2 months. Constant, spasmy, lump in back of throat, and pressure around gland type feeling. Very hard to explain but exacerbated by stress and talking too much. Let me know what you find out, because I'm at my wits end!

[Fishmanpa]

Whenever I see something I never heard of, I know Dr. Google and the "patient" self diagnosed.

Positive thoughts

[Sam Winter]

My doctor referred me for one back in September of 2015, haven't really found out why(most likely anxiety) but its not anything dangerous, my best advice is to just try and stay calm until you see ENT, if something was really wrong they'd spot it(in this case I extremely doubt it) we can't rely on self diagnostics as 90% of the time they're usually wrong x

[Kay8010]

I too had and still have a lump or stuck sensation in my throat and it can get incredibly sore at times, after thinking I had throat cancer last year I visited an ENT consultant to be diagnosed with globus hystericus -

Globus Hystericus manifests and is described mostly as:

an inability to swallow effectively
a feeling like a lump in the throat
a sensation of tightness in the throat
a feeling of ‘blockage’ in the throat
a feeling of swelling or tension in the throat
a feeling of being ‘strangled’
a sensation of soreness or tension at the back of the tongue

It could also be reflux that is causing this tightness too however most of the time I am told that anxiety causes globus hystericus & the sad thing is you can have it for years before one day it will just disappear depending how your anxiety is maintained (not likely to talk as my anxiety is always at peak)

Thought I would just give my personal experience.

[sporque]

I too had and still have a lump or stuck sensation in my throat and it can get incredibly sore at times, after thinking I had throat cancer last year I visited an ENT consultant to be diagnosed with globus hystericus -

Globus Hystericus manifests and is described mostly as:

an inability to swallow effectively
a feeling like a lump in the throat
a sensation of tightness in the throat
a feeling of ‘blockage’ in the throat
a feeling of swelling or tension in the throat
a feeling of being ‘strangled’
a sensation of soreness or tension at the back of the tongue

It could also be reflux that is causing this tightness too however most of the time I am told that anxiety causes globus hystericus & the sad thing is you can have it for years before one day it will just disappear depending how your anxiety is maintained (not likely to talk as my anxiety is always at peak)

Thought I would just give my personal experience.

I certainly hope it doesn't last years for me. My job involves lots of talking, and for the last few months I've been unable to do my job because of this. Finally made it to the ENT and he palapated all my glands in and outside my mouth, looked in my throat with a mirror and said everything looked great. Sadly, he didn't give me a diagnosis..I did mention C.S. but he was in a hurry for an emergency and said it could be and he repeated I was totally fine. So I left feeling slightly better. My symptoms come and go. I was feeling like I was beating it yesterday but today it was back with a vengeance. The one thing that always makes it dissappear is when I take xanax before bed. (never take that during the day). This, for me, at least proves its a muscle issue as pain killers don't touch it. The only problem is the last thing I want to do is start taking benzos to get through the day. So as of now I only get a little relief about 1 hour before bed.

[RandomGeeza]

I had CS for about 4 months following a major operation and during a nervous breakdown. It was one of the triggers of the nervous breakdown. I have been through ENT and the subsequent follow up. And all was well.

If you can ignore it, over time it WILL go away. I honestly thought mine never would but it did. It took weeks not days and even now it comes back on occasion. But, be assured that it is simply a muscle going into spasm and nothing more serious.

[sporque]

I had CS for about 4 months following a major operation and during a nervous breakdown. It was one of the triggers of the nervous breakdown. I have been through ENT and the subsequent follow up. And all was well.

If you can ignore it, over time it WILL go away. I honestly thought mine never would but it did. It took weeks not days and even now it comes back on occasion. But, be assured that it is simply a muscle going into spasm and nothing more serious.

Thanks so much for the reassurance :D It's by far the weirdest symptom and most physical symptom of anxiety I've ever had! Did you find it was hard to talk for longer periods of time when you had it?

[RandomGeeza]

Thanks so much for the reassurance :D It's by far the weirdest symptom and most physical symptom of anxiety I've ever had! Did you find it was hard to talk for longer periods of time when you had it?

Yes sometimes... it felt like someone pushing into the fleshy pallet of your throat... directly below the Adam's apple, almost strangling you. It was f*cking horrible for want of a better description. And I wouldn't wish it on anyone. It frightened me.

However, over time it did go. I just had to stop fixating on it. Easier said than done. Each day it seemed to get a little better. Until one day I forgot I had it, and life resumed some semblance of normality.

[Happyman168]

A key indicator if you have cricopharyngeal spasms is if the feeling of a lump in your throat is alleviated when eating / drinking. Also if you get spasms in your throat area that is also a key indicator. My doctor recommended me a muscle relaxer and I feel good as new.

[sporque]

A key indicator if you have cricopharyngeal spasms is if the feeling of a lump in your throat is alleviated when eating / drinking. Also if you get spasms in your throat area that is also a key indicator. My doctor recommended me a muscle relaxer and I feel good as new.

How long did you suffer and what where your symptoms? Did your doctor tell you when it would go away? I'm going on 4 months and it's starting to wear me down.

[Happyman168]

How long did you suffer and what where your symptoms? Did your doctor tell you when it would go away? I'm going on 4 months and it's starting to wear me down.

Doctor didn't say when it would go away as she just prescribed me a small dosage of a benzodiazepine to test to see if it was a muscle contraction issue. This all started for me back in November of last year. It wasnt until this February that the sensation has been alleviated.

My symptoms were:

Lump in throat
Lump is only alleviated when eating or drinking
Constant swallowing makes the lump feeling worse


EDIT: After seeing your earlier post on page one I hope that you find some relief knowing it is a muscle contraction / tightening issue and that it is harmless. Considering you took a xanax and it helps shows that it's nothing more than just a tight muscle. My doctor did say that there is nothing wrong being on a benzo as long as you follow you recommended dosage. Seeing as I could barely function and was at my wits end for four months because of this huge lump feeling in my throat and that it can suddenly disappear by taking a muscle relaxer is reassuring.

[sporque]

Doctor didn't say when it would go away as she just prescribed me a small dosage of a benzodiazepine to test to see if it was a muscle contraction issue. This all started for me back in November of last year. It wasnt until this February that the sensation has been alleviated.

My symptoms were:

Lump in throat
Lump is only alleviated when eating or drinking
Constant swallowing makes the lump feeling worse

I take a benzo for sleep, and also notice things improve when I take it. I certainly don't want to take it during the day. How long does your doc want you taking the medication for? I've also had this since November.

[Happyman168]

I take a benzo for sleep, and also notice things improve when I take it. I certainly don't want to take it during the day. How long does your doc want you taking the medication for? I've also had this since November.

This would be something you should speak to your doc about. However, before I was prescribed a benzo I was very wary seeing as there are people that heavily abuse it so that they can get a "high." My doctor reassured me that there is nothing wrong with benzos as long as you follow their instructions. She even told me that some people with muscle spasms or muscle tightening can take these lifelong with no problem. She gave me a months worth of a .25mg benzo and wants me taking it once a night before I sleep. Benzos are known for being sedative but with such a small dose I was prescribed it doesn't make me sleepy at all. Considering Xanax is fast acting and short lasting you could possibly ask your doc to switch to a longer acting benzo.

[sporque]

This would be something you should speak to your doc about. However, before I was prescribed a benzo I was very wary seeing as there are people that heavily abuse it so that they can get a "high." My doctor reassured me that there is nothing wrong with benzos as long as you follow their instructions. She even told me that some people with muscle spasms or muscle tightening can take these lifelong with no problem. She gave me a months worth of a .25mg benzo and wants me taking it once a night before I sleep. Benzos are known for being sedative but with such a small dose I was prescribed it doesn't make me sleepy at all. Considering Xanax is fast acting and short lasting you could possibly ask your doc to switch to a longer acting benzo.

Thanks, thats a good idea. Did your issue start after an illness or stressful event, or just random?

[Happyman168]

Thanks, thats a good idea. Did your issue start after an illness or stressful event, or just random?

It all started in october when I had a really bad allergic throat reaction which made me very stressed, but it wasnt until November when I had a bad food poisoning and threw up three times in one night until I felt like I pulled a muscle in my throat from that. Since that November I've been getting spasms in my throat (Under the adams apple) and was miserable. It was very hard to focus considering the constricted lump feeling in my throat made my life horrible. My doctor has tried me for GERD meds, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, and Depression Meds and none of those seemed to work. Then in February after those tests I went back to her and spoke to her about cricopharyngeal spasms and she gave me a benzo as a test to see if its a muscle contraction issue. And on my first pill at an extremely small dose the lump feeling just left. The only time the lump feeling appears is when I excessively swallow my saliva which just goes to show it is infact a muscle tightening issue, which of course is harmless.

[Fishmanpa]

Thank you Dr. Google.

Positive thoughts

[sporque]

Thanks for the reassurance, my spasms are more in the back of my throat or under my jawline. It's there evenough when I don't swallow, and somewhat releaved by eating. The xanax does make it disappear so it must be muscle, stress related. My throat also frequently swells, has a burning sensation at times and is horse and dry.

[Happyman168]

No problem and best of luck to you. There is a cure for everyone. I was at my lowest when it felt like the lump in my throat felt huge and I had to shy away from social activities because I felt so uncomfortable with this lump.

If possible it would be best to rule out bigger problems. My doctor told me just to be safe to

Try medicines for GERD and see if it improves
Modified Barium Swallow
CT Scan

If those are all clear and a muscle relaxer diminishes a lump in throat feeling then we have nothing to worry about and can just continue taking a muscle relaxer :)

[Denise_Le]

I started experiencing spasms periodically, to daily in Fall of 2015. After numerous tests - barium swallow, ultrasound, endoscopy, allergy test, blood test etc. I do not lead a stressful lifestyle or anxious which are known causes. I decided to take matters into my own hands, conducting numerous hours of research. I can finally say that my symptoms have almost close to stopped. Here is what I figured out:
- Magnesium deficiency: any and all spasms seem to be caused to due to a magnesium deficit. Blood tests do not represent, record accurate Magnesium levels. Taking Magnesium Bisglycinate with food once a day has helped slow down, and finally stop the symptoms.
- Maca Powder Capsules (Vega): I have been taking Maca capsules in conjunction with Magnesium which has helped. I stopped taking it over a weekend, and noticed that the symptoms reappeared.
- Diet: I became a vegetarian (eat fish), almost close to a Vegan (no milk, still consume cheese, and eggs occasionally) which I believe has left me with a mineral, vitamin deficiency. I believe this is the root cause of my spasms. I have no intention of consuming meat or poultry but may have to start including milk in my diet.

It took several months for the spasms to diminish. I can confirm with some level of certainty that they have close to disappeared.