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Something in my neck is popping out of place
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | Last Active: Apr 14 12:20am | Replies (117)Comment receiving replies
I have found my people! I’ve dealt with this for as long as I can remember. (34F) Usually I can just pop it back into place with little to no force, just a little push from the side of my throat (almost always the right side) towards the middle and I usually feel a little “click”. Currently though, I am on day 3 of not being able to pop it back into place. This time it feels farther back, and maybe more up under my jaw than normal also. It’s never been painful for me, necessarily, just very uncomfortable to swallow or sigh. I’ve mentioned this to many people over the years and have always been looked at like I’m crazy. lol I haven’t been overly concerned since it’s not actually painful and I can just pop it back and go on with my day. Sometimes it can be months in between occurrences, other times I’ll get it a few times a month. Unlike others, I don’t know that I have any specific triggers and I don’t feel it coming on. It seems very random when it happens. This time I think I woke up like this.
As much as I hate that we are all dealing with this, it does feel good to know I am not alone.
To the people freaking out about us fixing it ourselves, I know it sounds scary but unless you’ve experienced it, you just simply can not understand. Most of us have been handling this for many years with little to no issue, and going to the doctors has been less than helpful in looking for a diagnosis or treatment.
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@jbrew91
ENT appointment script:
“Something in my upper neck/right side of my throat seems to sublux or shift out of place every few months. I usually press gently on the area and feel a small ‘click’ and it goes back. But this time it has been stuck for three days and I can’t relocate it. It’s uncomfortable to swallow but not painful. I think it may be related to the hyoid bone or the thyroid cartilage. Can you evaluate the hyoid, the thyrohyoid membrane, and the thyroid cartilage horns?”
“I want to rule out hyoid subluxation, superior thyroid cornu syndrome, or an elongated styloid process.”
“Can you palpate the hyoid and possibly do a small flexible endoscopy to look at movement when I swallow?”
(AI scripted this -says see an ENT.)
🧘 What she should not say
“Something is popping out of my throat.”
→ ENTs hear this as anxiety or “globus.”
“This has been happening for years and I finally came in.”
→ They may downplay it.
“This is embarrassing but I can push something back into place.”
→ They may think muscular rather than structural.
🩺 What doctors usually miss
Most physicians:
• don’t palpate the hyoid
• don’t know it can sublux
• don’t consider the thyroid cartilage horns
• assume it’s “in your head”
But ENTs who specialize in neck biomechanics, TMJ specialists, and some chiropractors are familiar with it.
I suggest going to Mayo or good teaching hospital to get a good resolution to this overlooked medical condition.
Teaching hospitals have:
• laryngologists
• swallowing specialists
• access to dynamic imaging
• doctors familiar with unusual cartilage anomalies
• more time for complex cases
And Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke — all the major academic centers — have ENTs who actually know about these tiny throat mechanics.
Most local ENTs only look for:
• reflux
• infection
• cancer
• tonsils
• sinus issues
This problem falls outside their routine.