What causes Clicking or Popping in Throat when Swallowing?

Hello @paoloremedy1982

I would like to join, John, @johnbishop, in welcoming you to Mayo Connect! I'm sorry to hear about this problem you are having with noises when you swallow. It is easy to understand your concern given your mother's history of cancer of the larynx.

Your symptoms are interesting in that they occur with certain neck positions. I'm thinking, as John mentioned, that a swallowing study might be helpful to you. It can help to either put your mind at ease or point to another diagnosis that might be overlooked.

You say that you eat dinner and then go to bed 15 minutes later. Is that correct? I would highly recommend that you give yourself a longer period of time between your last meal of the day and bedtime. If you can't do that, then a very small meal before bedtime might help with reflux in general. Also, putting risers under the head of your bed is often helpful as well.

I recently had a swallowing study done at a university hospital near me. I then had a follow-up appointment with my laryngologist (an ENT doctor who specializes in vocal cords and swallowing problems). He recommended a product called Reflux Gourmet. It is only available on Amazon.com. It was developed by a team of laryngologists. It can really help with reflux-type symptoms.

I hope some of these ideas are helpful to you. Will you post again with any questions or concerns?

I've got the same issue. When swallowing solids, one tends to slightly tuck their chin, that's when it is the most intense for me. It also occurs when I have to swallow something that is difficult to swallow, especially a large mouth full of food that requires multiple swallows. My click is bilateral. It occurs on both sides, up to the point that my whole hyoid clicks out. Unfortunately I have been stigmatized by my patient file. I'm from the Netherlands and practitioners tend to keep a patient file. I've switched practioners because up till now they've all viewed my problem as "psychogenic" because of my patient file. No one takes me seriously. My life is in ruins.

A week ago I got a head cold and even today I ended up blowing a bunch of yellow snot out of my nose. thought I was getting better.
then I was eating dinner and I heard a crack or a pop or something Im not really sure. and ever since swallowing hurts
I dont feel any cracking or anything since Im just really confused to what happened and if this is anything I should be worried about

Hello @oley49 and welcome to Connect. I can understand your concern about this noise and discomfort when you swallow. I'm sure that this has caused stress when you eat.

Connect does have a discussion on this topic. Here is a link to the discussion, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/clickingpopping-throat-when-swallowing/. I would encourage you to read the posts and if you want to ask a question or comment just click on "Reply" under the post and you can connect with the member.

I would like to invite @alfredj and @paoloremedy1982 to join in this discussion as they have mentioned similar problems with noise when swallowing.

I see that this is a rather new problem for you. Have you contacted your doctor for an evaluation? Do you have an ENT doctor with whom you could consult?

Hello to everyone who is facing this very unsettling problem. I've been following this thread since the beginning of this year. And looking for treatment for that too since the beginning of this year. Since I found this forum, I saw that I was not alone and that not only motivated me to seek a solution to the problem, but also help others, like everyone here, to solve it as well. In a way, I decided to volunteer as a human laboratory, looking for treatments for this in order to bring him here. First I went to a doctor who asked for a nasofibrolaryngoscopy, so I did and she said that everything was fine and that the "click" could have muscle causes, I was prescribed a muscle relaxant which I took for a few days but didn't see any results. After a while I went to another doctor and clearly mentioned that I had a popping sound when I swallowed and turned my neck. She ordered another nasofibrolaryngoscopy and a CT scan. And so I did. In nasofibrolaryngoscopy, fortunately, nothing was detected. And so far I'm waiting to return with my doctor and see what she can identify in the CT scan. I, like everyone here, lived many moments of anxiety, crying, and suffering because of this; even more so because I am passionate about acting and communication and this has affected me directly. But seeing that there are other people with the same problem motivated me even more to seek a solution for it, you can be sure, that what I can do to bring a possible solution for myself and also for all of you here, I will do. I hope you are getting better from this problem and if not, stay optimistic, because there is definitely a solution! See you soon and be well!

Hello @letsolve and welcome to Connect. I appreciate you adding your story of this problem to our discussion. It sounds like you are actively advocating for yourself with your medical team. I really admire it when a person is proactive! We all need to do this, especially when we are faced with an elusive or hard-to-diagnose problem.

From your post, it sounds as if you are mainly working with ENT specialists. Is that the case? How long have you had this problem?

I am having a similar problem of my inner throat popping. It happens randomly when I turn my head, and it happens often.
It does not cause PAIN , but it causes discomfort.
I tried the video exercises- but they didn’t help.
My primary and ENT were not concerned. And did not find anything.
I feel I should have an X-RAY and an MRI to actually see what’s going on below the surface…

Hello @mimtim and welcome to Connect. I'm sorry to hear that you are also dealing with this uncomfortable problem. Some of the other members who have posted indicated they had a cold, cough, or massage previous to this popping or clicking sound. Did you notice this after any particular illness or accident? I'm also wondering if you have had any injuries to your neck, throat, etc.?

You mention that you don't have pain, but you do have discomfort. Could you describe this discomfort?

Please know that it is always your right to seek a second opinion if you don't feel that you are getting the diagnostic tests or answers that you need. Is there a large medical center nearby where you can seek a second opinion?

Hi! Well, I've been having this problem since February, as I said in my first post, I'm an admirer of Performing Arts and I joined this environment shortly before the problem. In my case I noticed the click shortly after massaging my larynx. A student in my class had said to me "Could you speak louder?" and honestly it made me uncomfortable. That's when I decided to dedicate myself to having a better diction, I started doing tongue exercises, voice exercises, and also massages. Unfortunately it turned out that after these massages the click appeared. The click bothered me so much that I had to abandon the course. And I've been looking for solutions ever since. Taking advantage of this, I already made the return with my doctor, and she did not identify anything on the CT scan. But! since a long time ago other doctors said that I probably had a problem with tonsils, as one is more prominent than the other, so that's what the doctor gave as the main diagnosis, enlarged tonsils. I'm going to make an evaluation with a surgeon and then see what the best treatment is for this, if it's okay to remain with enlarged tonsils or if a tonsillectomy is really necessary. Honestly, I don't know for sure if the tonsillectomy will influence the click, but I still believe in the possibility, after all, the enlarged amygdala "could", perhaps, be causing some pressure that reaches the hyoid bone or the muscles close to it, and influencing the click. . But it's just a maybe, I'm going to continue with the search for an effective treatment, and I would always like to motivate everyone not to give up looking for the solution to the problem! (If that comforts anyone, I'm only 17 years old.)

Hello, I’m experiencing the same thing and it gets annoying did your mom get any testing done to see what what was the problem causing the clicking in her throat?