What causes Clicking or Popping in Throat when Swallowing?

Posted by mushroom @mushroom, Oct 2, 2020

I was doing some neck massages a few days ago and then afterwards whenever I swallow, I feel a clicking/popping sensation and sound when my larynx moves up upon swallow. There is no pain at the moment but the popping sensation in my throat gives me anxiety whenever I swallow. Is this the result of the cartilage rubbing on each other? Is it from the hyoid bone rubbing the thyroid cartilage? Are there exercises that can fix this?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Support Group.

@emalloy

I pray I’m this lucky. This popping started for me about 2 weeks ago and is giving me crazy anxiety. We had a phlegmy cold go through our house and for whatever reason I noticed I have a pop. It’s at the top of my swallow and can feel it just left of my Adam’s apple.

I went to the doctor yesterday and he said he doesn’t think it’s anything to get worried over but set me up with an ENT. I can’t get the anxiety out of my head I have cancer. It sucks.

My case is just like everyone else only does it on a dry swallow looking straight ahead or to the right. Looking up down or to the left I don’t feel a thing.

Plus I keep having the urge to swallow and my muscles in my neck are starting to be sore.

Jump to this post

Ugh, sorry, I replied but lost my comment!

REPLY
@emalloy

I pray I’m this lucky. This popping started for me about 2 weeks ago and is giving me crazy anxiety. We had a phlegmy cold go through our house and for whatever reason I noticed I have a pop. It’s at the top of my swallow and can feel it just left of my Adam’s apple.

I went to the doctor yesterday and he said he doesn’t think it’s anything to get worried over but set me up with an ENT. I can’t get the anxiety out of my head I have cancer. It sucks.

My case is just like everyone else only does it on a dry swallow looking straight ahead or to the right. Looking up down or to the left I don’t feel a thing.

Plus I keep having the urge to swallow and my muscles in my neck are starting to be sore.

Jump to this post

I’m sorry you’re going through the same! I hope you get a quick and easy resolution to this awful issue. Mine has been going FOR YEARS, and one day "crack!" it got resolved in the most unexpected way! Now I can eat without any pain!

Don’t worry too much about cancer. I have all the lucky numbers to have it, and I’m still fine. I have Mallory Weiss tear, Barret’s, Giant hiatal hernia, Chronic Gerd and a myriad of other issues in my stomach and throat, and I’m still fine **knocks on wood**

REPLY
@emalloy

I will try to keep this short but informative. We had a cold run through our house a couple weeks ago. Typical congestion, light coughing etc. I remember my throat being very dry and plenty of post nasal drip from the sickness but didn’t really feel that bad, none of us did. With my throat being really dry I remember swallowing constantly. During that swallowing a popping in my throat appeared. At least that’s when I remember myself noticing the popping.

The popping is at the top of my swallow. At my Adam’s apple/below my chin. It feels like a cartilage or tendon pop. It only occurs while looking straight ahead. Left, right, up or down results in no pop. I also feel no pop while eating or drinking. I have no pain and no trouble breathing or swallowing. I don’t recall any “trauma” to my throat but who knows when you wrestle a 4 and two year old all day.

I did got to my general practitioner a he said it does seem odd but doesn’t feel it’s something to worry over. He recommended me to an ENT to talk to an expert.

This is going on for two weeks now and my anxiety is through the roof thinking I have throat cancer and I can’t seem to convince myself otherwise. I guess I’m just a fatalist. Just turning to the mayo community for some help. Please and thank you.

Jump to this post

Went to my chiropractor today. She too thought it to be kind of weird but she believes it to be ligament or tendon causing the popping. It didn’t really give me much peace of mind but she did tell me it’s probably not what I fear it but to be and should relax a little. She did tell me to lay on my back on my bed with my neck and head stretched back over the edge. And to swallow looking straight and to the sides a few times as a stretch to try and help. Guess I’ll give it a shot. I will update after my ent appointment on Monday.

REPLY

Well my chiropractor seems to think it’s tendon/ligament related which should have put my mind at ease a little bit but naturally doesn’t. She did give me some stretches to try and we will see how that goes. I will update again after my ENT appointment Monday.

REPLY
@luvall

I have some of the same issues. Got a few XRays and the only thing they found was a abscess under my left wisdom tooth. I have to go to an oral surgery but until then when I swallow the clicking is still happening. My left ear feels stuffed, I have post nasal drip and I also have GERD!

Jump to this post

Have you gotten any resolve?

REPLY

All, I finally had my appointment with my ENT this morning. His conclusion without a doubt was my hyoid bone and adams appl/thyroid cartilage are rubbing. He did say it's not too uncommon and that he has performed a few surgeries a year fixing this problem for people. He would basically remove the center area of the hyoid to avoid the contact. He had the camera that goes up your nose to look down into the throat and told me we could do it but it's about 300 bucks and he knew he wouldn't find anything because he knew the issue. I told him i didn't care and to look anyways. After looking he said everything looked great and saw no issues. He pointed out, the reason it doesn't pop when head is turned or looking up or down is because that articulation separates the two. He told me to relax, its nothing to worry about and if it is bothering me enough, we can get the surgery and get it fixed.

REPLY
@emalloy

I will try to keep this short but informative. We had a cold run through our house a couple weeks ago. Typical congestion, light coughing etc. I remember my throat being very dry and plenty of post nasal drip from the sickness but didn’t really feel that bad, none of us did. With my throat being really dry I remember swallowing constantly. During that swallowing a popping in my throat appeared. At least that’s when I remember myself noticing the popping.

The popping is at the top of my swallow. At my Adam’s apple/below my chin. It feels like a cartilage or tendon pop. It only occurs while looking straight ahead. Left, right, up or down results in no pop. I also feel no pop while eating or drinking. I have no pain and no trouble breathing or swallowing. I don’t recall any “trauma” to my throat but who knows when you wrestle a 4 and two year old all day.

I did got to my general practitioner a he said it does seem odd but doesn’t feel it’s something to worry over. He recommended me to an ENT to talk to an expert.

This is going on for two weeks now and my anxiety is through the roof thinking I have throat cancer and I can’t seem to convince myself otherwise. I guess I’m just a fatalist. Just turning to the mayo community for some help. Please and thank you.

Jump to this post

Went to ENT this morning. His conclusion without a doubt was my hyoid bone and adams appl/thyroid cartilage are rubbing. He did say it's not too uncommon and that he has performed a few surgeries a year fixing this problem for people. He would basically remove the center area of the hyoid to avoid the contact. He had the camera that goes up your nose to look down into the throat and told me we could do it but it's about 300 bucks and he knew he wouldn't find anything because he knew the issue. I told him i didn't care and to look anyways. After looking he said everything looked great and saw no issues. He pointed out, the reason it doesn't pop when head is turned or looking up or down is because that articulation separates the two. He told me to relax, its nothing to worry about and if it is bothering me enough, we can get the surgery and get it fixed.

REPLY
@emalloy

All, I finally had my appointment with my ENT this morning. His conclusion without a doubt was my hyoid bone and adams appl/thyroid cartilage are rubbing. He did say it's not too uncommon and that he has performed a few surgeries a year fixing this problem for people. He would basically remove the center area of the hyoid to avoid the contact. He had the camera that goes up your nose to look down into the throat and told me we could do it but it's about 300 bucks and he knew he wouldn't find anything because he knew the issue. I told him i didn't care and to look anyways. After looking he said everything looked great and saw no issues. He pointed out, the reason it doesn't pop when head is turned or looking up or down is because that articulation separates the two. He told me to relax, its nothing to worry about and if it is bothering me enough, we can get the surgery and get it fixed.

Jump to this post

Where is this dr? Can you send me his name? Did he say if it will go away on its own?

REPLY
@nc27

Where is this dr? Can you send me his name? Did he say if it will go away on its own?

Jump to this post

I'm located in Wichita, KS. My ENT is Mid Kansas ENT. He said chances of it going away are pretty slim. Whatever moved, pulled or shifted is probably where it's going to stay. I could continue to work on stretches and working out and maybe losing some weight could influence it he said but I'm not a big guy 5'-10" 195lbs. It sounds like if I want it gone gone surgery would be the route to go but he didn't push me into it. He told me he has done the surgeries before but that the popping isn't hurting me, and he is willing to do it if I feel it's something I want done for myself.

REPLY

Hello guys,

Thankful that I discovered this forum, as I have been dealing with this issue for a while now. I do have TMJD and neck issues. It has been confirmed that my TMJD is causing my ETD as well. In such a case, I pretty much have all the mentioned symptoms: crunch/grinding in throat when swallowing saliva trickling down most prominently on the left side, shortness of breath, and being able to offset the problem by lowering my neck to my chest. While I do believe my jaw joint misalignment is the underlying cause of the issue, there are other factors that should be considered.

From what I have gathered, I believe that this is an issue with the neck that has possibly caused thyroid cartilage issues. It is important for all of us to take into account any past history of neck trauma or complications.
In this regard, has anyone gotten a neck MRI evaluated by a specialist?

I will soon get my neck MRI image evaluated by a specialist. If no luck there, I will go see an ENT and ask about my thyroid cartilage.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.