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Suddenly have popping in throat when swallowing. Will it go away?
Hi. This morning I woke up with this weird popping sensation in my neck when swallowing, completely out of the blue and it’s concerning me because I recently had a friend diagnosed with thyroid cancer, so my paranoia is a bit higher than usual. I can feel and hear the popping when swallowing only when my head is in certain positions, and if I apply too much pressure to my neck in the area it’s coming from when swallowing it doesn’t happen. I have been sick this week with an upper respiratory infection and have been coughing quite a bit. I though maybe it could be a swollen lymph node moving against my throat when swallowing, however I can’t feel any swelling or lumps at all for that matter. It does not hurt to swallow right now but I worry that it will if it continues. In terms of symptoms from my URI…. Cough, congestion in both my nose and chest, sneezing, sore throat, plugged ears, all the fun stuff. Is the popping related to me being sick? Will it likely go away? Thank you in advance!
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Hi @kmh1122, welcome. You may be interested in reading this related discussion:
- What causes Clicking or Popping in Throat when Swallowing? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/clickingpopping-throat-when-swallowing/
However, you might be on the right track to the issue may be related to your current respiratory infection. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions like cancer. That being said, if the popping continues, you might want to contact your doctor. Have you been to the doctor about your current infection?
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1 ReactionHi, yes I did a virtual urgent care visit for it. Since it’s viral they basically said I just have to wait it out and let it run it’s course!
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1 ReactionI'm glad to hear you had a virtual care visit. Once symptoms have subsided, let us know if the popping persists.
So my symptoms have gone away for the most part (still lingering a little bit but nowhere near as bad as they were) but the popping is still there unfortunately. I guess it’s a good thing I see my primary this Friday for other reasons but I have a feeling she won’t understand what I’m talking about when I bring it up
Have u asked ur Doctor about it possibly being "Clicking hyoid" I have the same thing. A clicking sound when I swallow. I can feel something move as well. And I constantly have the feeling that something is stuck in my throat. I'm in the process of getting a confirmation if it is clicking hyoid. Which is fixed with a small surgery
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1 ReactionWelcome @karma61, Asking your doctor is good advice. @notyouravg also gives some great advice in another discussion that you might want read. It has some reference links that you may find really helpful. Here is a link to the post – Hyoid Bone Syndrome: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/670386/.
Have you discussed getting the surgery with your doctor?
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1 ReactionHello @karma619, I would like to join John, @johnbishop, in welcoming you to Mayo Connect. I'm so glad that you are able to comment on this topic. It seems to be a problem for many people and the diagnosis and treatments are rather elusive and not being picked up by ENT specialists or others.
I did some research and found an article from the NIH about this disorder titled, "Clicking Hyoid: A Rare Case Report Review." Here is the link to that article, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4922244/.
Many members have reported this same clicking and discomfort when they swallow. As this is reported as a rare disorder, I'm wondering what doctor suggested this might be a problem? Also, what are the next steps or diagnostic tests to have it diagnosed and/or treated?
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2 ReactionsI had something very similar happen to me four years ago. I had a sort of run-of-the-mill respiratory virus for a few days. I woke up one morning with a clicking or popping sensation in my throat. It didn't hurt exactly, but it was a bit distressing. I could make the sensation stop if I turned my head to certain angles, but most of the time the popping sensation was present. I could also press on my throat and it would go away. My cold got better, but the clicking didn't go away. Eventually I consulted my PC doc, who sent me to an ENT. They scoped my throat and noted a bit of paralysis in my left vocal cord. They sent me to physical therapy (useless), prescribed speech therapy, had a couple of radiological swallow studies done (so they could see the swallowing mechanism in action), GI consults, etc. This was all probably over the course of a year, with no change to the popping sensation. Last year, on a third follow-up throat scope, they said the paralysis appeared to have improved somewhat, but I still had the popping sensation. Four years later it's still with me—no real change. I am mostly used to it now, but very rarely it will cause me a little bit of discomfort. In the end, the diagnosis was basically that the virus I had four years ago caused some nerve damage in my throat and that this will be a minor annoyance I'll just have to deal with.
Hey I’m having the same problem. I’ve had this for about 6 months now. I was sick and coughing and one day woke up with the clicking or popping feeling and it hasn’t gone away. Is yours still there?
I’ve been having the same problem for about 6 months. Is it still there or has it gone away?