← Return to What causes Clicking or Popping in Throat when Swallowing?

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@maxthomas11

Hi I’m fourteen and I’ve had this for a while. I’ll get a few weeks of it and then it will randomly go away. It becomes painful and extremely annoying. It happens every couple of months and I’ve googled it a lot but I haven’t ever found a definitive answer. Can anyone help me find out what this is?

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Replies to "Hi I’m fourteen and I’ve had this for a while. I’ll get a few weeks of..."

Hi Max, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice that I moved your question to this existing discussion called "Clicking/Popping Throat when Swallowing" that @mushroom started last year. I encourage you to read through the entire discussion thread to see helpful responses from fellow members like @jenniferhunter @johnbishop @nrd1 @tyty21 @a06742sl @lucy1234 and others.

Max, have you talked to your doctor about this or been to see an ENT specialist? Have you told your parents?

@maxthomas11 If your hyoid bone is misaligned, it does cause clicking on swallowing. This bone sits crosswise above the voicebox in your throat and it moves when you swallow. That is how you can find it with your fingers, but don't push on it because it is very delicate. It is held there by muscles, and if there are muscle spasms or tightness in your neck, it can pull the bone out of alignment. That is something a physical therapist can treat. My therapist does myofascial release which will stretch out the tight fascia. If you have skinned a raw chicken, you have seen fascia. It's the cobwebby stuff that connects everything. In living animals (and people) this fascia kind of liquifies and reforms itself when you stretch it and hold a gentle stretch. You can read through the discussion on MFR to learn about this treatment. There is also a provider search for therapists who are trained in this method. I'm glad you asked the question and are thinking about this. You should discuss it with your folks since you would need their help in seeing a physical therapist. Here are the links.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/?pg=1#chv4-comment-stream-header
Provider search http://www.mfrtherapists.com/