You wake up in the morning, swallow and — ouch! Pain when swallowing may be a sign of other issues affecting your throat. Luckily, your symptoms can often be soothed with home remedies or treated with over-the-counter medicine or antibiotics. A sore throat will often resolve on its own, but if your sore throat is severe or lasts longer than a week, the Mayo Clinic suggests seeing your doctor.
Sore Throat Symptoms
A sore throat is uncomfortable and can make eating and drinking challenging. The Cleveland Clinic lists some common symptoms that often accompany this condition:
- Throat pain when swallowing
- Swollen or sore glands in your neck
- Red tonsils with white patches on them
- Coughing
Identifying these signs and symptoms may help you determine what is causing your throat pain. However, if the symptoms get worse or persist, see your doctor. Below are five possible underlying causes of throat pain when swallowing.
1. Cold Virus
Colds can be a real bummer. A runny nose, sneezing, coughing and a sore throat are hallmark symptoms of the common cold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Colds can be soothed with over-the-counter medication and typically resolve on their own within seven to 10 days. If you notice white spots on your tonsils, the CDC notes that you may have a bacterial infection and not a cold virus.
2. Strep Throat
If you don't have a cough and you notice white spots on your tonsils, swollen lymph nodes or tiny red spots on the roof of your mouth, you might have strep throat. The CDC states that strep throat is caused by group A Streptococcus (group A strep) bacteria. To determine if you have strep throat, your doctor will do a rapid strep test or analyze a bacterial culture sample to see if group A strep is present.
3. Tonsillitis
If your tonsils are swollen and your rapid strep test is negative, you might have tonsillitis. Symptoms of tonsillitis and strep throat often overlap — meaning it's best to see your doctor to confirm what's causing your symptoms.
Tonsillitis simply means inflammation of the tonsils, as the National Institutes of Health explains. It could be a result of group A strep or, more commonly, a virus. If bacterial tonsillitis is a recurring problem, particularly in children, your doctor may recommend surgery for tonsil removal. However, most cases of tonsillitis resolve quickly with antibiotics (if bacteria is causing the infection) or can be soothed with over-the-counter medicine.
4. Oral Thrush
Oral thrush can be another culprit of painful swallowing. The CDC explains that an overproduction of a naturally occurring fungus called Candida can cause oral thrush. Because it is a fungal infection, it's typically treated with a course of antifungal medication, and mild cases often resolve within seven to 14 days.
5. Esophagitis
Another possible cause of painful swallowing is esophagitis. Esophagitis is the inflammation of the esophagus, which is the tube that connects the mouth and stomach, as Harvard Medical School outlines. These are the typical symptoms:
- Difficult or painful swallowing
- Heartburn
- Pain in the chest or throat
- Acid reflux
Esophagitis can be caused by acid reflux, an allergic reaction or oral medications. It can also be caused be a bacterial, fungal or viral infection. If you are experiencing symptoms of esophagitis, contact your doctor for further testing.
What to Do Next
Several conditions can cause pain when swallowing, and your dentist or doctor can help to make a final diagnosis. To alleviate your throat pain at home, try these home remedies outlined by the Mayo Clinic:
- Gargling with salt water
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Using a humidifier
If your sore throat doesn't get better or your notice red or white splotches in your throat or on your tonsils, it's a good idea to talk to your dentist or doctor to make sure you don't need antibiotics or other medications. Having a sore throat is a pain, but after just a few days of rest, most people begin to feel much better.
Most people take swallowing for granted. Not only is it an automatic response while you’re eating, you swallow saliva frequently throughout the day. Most people also know the feeling of swallowing difficulties that accompany sore throats when they’re ill. This may be a problem only every few years, and after some time and many throat lozenges, they’re good to go until the next time a virus hits.
However, not all sore throats cause swallowing issues, and not all swallowing issues stem from common conditions. While chances are good that your swallowing problems won’t be serious, there are some situations where this symptom could point to a major health issue that brings potentially dangerous complications.
The doctors at Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates specialize in disorders of the throat, so they’re your first choice for consultation when you experience pain when you swallow. The practice is open with modified measures in place to assure patient safety through the COVID-19 pandemic, including telemedicine services. There’s no reason to ignore pain while swallowing.
The anatomy of swallowing
The journey from mouth to stomach isn’t long in physical distance, but it involves several systems. The process includes chewing, moving food to the back of your mouth and then down your throat to the stomach. Pain at any point could make swallowing difficult.
Throat problems
Most swallowing difficulties start in the throat, and these could be due to respiratory infections like the common cold, but bacteria and fungi can also infect the area. Strep throat is bacterial, and thrush stems from a yeast infection arising from overproduction of a fungus called candida, which normally resides in your mouth in small quantities.
Infections generally need antibiotic or antifungal medications to clear up. Though rare, infections can spread to other parts of the body, creating serious complications.
Esophagus issues
Any condition that irritates the esophagus has the potential to cause pain when you swallow. Perhaps the most common of these is acid reflux. A single episode isn’t likely to affect swallowing for long, but if you have the chronic condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), there’s a higher risk of long-lasting swallowing problems too.
Other esophagus issues that cause pain while swallowing include:
- An esophageal muscle condition called achalasia
- Abnormal contractions of esophageal muscles
- Perforations in the esophagus
- Ulcers
- Inflammation of the esophagus due to smoking, alcohol use, drug reactions, or medical treatments
- Throat cancer
When to see a doctor
If you have no idea why you’re experiencing swallowing pain, a call to Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates is your first action. Your doctor will ask you about accompanying symptoms, such as:
- Shortness of breath or wheezing
- Coughing
- Fever or chills
- Irregular stools, including bloody or with a dark, tar-like appearance
- Sour tastes in your mouth
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Vomiting
If you notice any of these symptoms occurring when you have swallowing problems, be sure to share them with your physician, particularly if you have a telemedicine consultation.
Contact Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates by phone at the Lawrence or Ottawa, Kansas, office whenever swallowing causes you pain. You can also send a message to the team here on the website. Painful swallowing is a condition that may be too important to overlook, so call today.
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