lump in throat

Dumpling in the throat or lump

The so-called "lump in the throat" (medus Globussyndrom or Globusgefühl) is very common and is characterized by a foreign body sensation or a feeling of tightness in the throat or neck. This is often accompanied by coughing, frequent throat clearing and shortness of breath. The lumping sensation can have both organic, functional as well as psychological causes and accordingly an indication of different clinical pictures. In the field of medicine, in addition to conventional examination methods, often working with imaging techniques and spoken in the case of a non-localizable organic cause of "Globus hystericus".

contents

• Dumpling in the throat or lump
• Symptoms and complaints
• diagnosis
• Causes of a lump in the throat
• Cause tension
• Mental causes with lump in the throat
• Therapy for globe feeling
• Treatment for mental dysentery
• Naturopathy with lump in the throat
• Breathing exercises and hypnotherapy

Symptoms and complaints

A lump in the throat can express itself very differently, e.g. by pain when swallowing or burning or scratching in the throat. Also, a feeling of dryness or the feeling that a piece of mucus or spit is stuck is reported in some cases. The lumping sensation is rarely perceived superficially, but rather in the depth of the neck.

A lump in the throat can be extremely uncomfortable. Often sufferers suffer from other complaints such as sore throat or respiratory distress. (Image: DDRockstar / fotolia.com)

Globe feeling can be very stressful for those affected, as it is often tried in vain to rid itself of this by throat clearing, coughing or coughing up of mucus, without, however, an improvement occurs. Sore throat and constant gagging may accompany this, as well as shortness of breath as well as anxiety or panic attacks as a result of the feeling of tightness in the throat are not uncommon.

Parallel symptoms such as trembling hands, sleep disturbances, excessive sweating, cravings and heavy thirst may indicate potential thyroid problems. A hoarse or weak voice, on the other hand, may be a source of difficulty in the supply of nerves or laryngeal muscles.

diagnosis

At the beginning, careful consideration of the symptoms, i. the doctor checks when and in what form they occur exactly. If the conventional examination leads to no result, a reflection of the affected region is usually carried out. For example, in a gastroscopy, a thin tube of video optics examines the inside of the esophagus to detect any changes. Ultrasound examinations or the so-called CT (computed tomography) are common diagnostic instruments in this case, as they allow accurate recordings of the corresponding areas.

Causes of a lump in the throat

For a dumpling in the neck come a variety of triggers into consideration. In such an essential region as the neck, where important vessels and the trachea run and the larynx lies, structural causes should first be ruled out medically. It is also necessary to check whether it may be a foreign body, e.g. Inflammation or tumors of the esophagus or the surrounding mucous membranes.

An acute foreign body sensation may be allergic, e.g. due to an insect bite or a food allergy and must be promptly medically clarified before it comes to a life-threatening narrowing of the respiratory tract.

Cause of the tightness can be an insect bite in the throat or throat area. In this case, seek medical attention immediately to avoid life-threatening airway obstruction. (Image: Henrie / fotolia.com)

Fast gorging of food can be the reason when chewing food. However, in most cases this can be remedied by gastroscopy (gastroscopy) by pushing on the stuck food. Furthermore, outgrowths of the wall of the esophagus, so-called diverticula of the esophagus, into consideration.

Often these are protracted chronic complaints. The foreign body sensation can be caused by space-demanding processes in the neck area. First, it is thought of medically an enlargement of the thyroid. Furthermore, for example, a so-called Hashimoto's thyroiditis could be present. This is an inflammation of the thyroid gland, which can cause hyperthyroidism (initially hashoxicosis) or hypothyroidism.

As additional space-occupying structures, cervical cysts and fistulas may be responsible for the discomfort of the neck. In some cases, in the middle of the neck, the thyroglossal duct, a temporary structure during embryonic development, does not completely recede. As a result, there may be cavities (cysts) filled with mucus. A similar phenomenon is possible on the side of the neck, as a crevice-shaped cavity (sinus cervicalis) may not develop on the head-turning muscle (M. sternocleidomastoideus) and on the palatine tonsils during embryological development.

Another possible cause is a pharyngitis (lateral strangulation). If the pharyngeal tonsils still exist, they can cause the globus feeling in case of swelling, as well as a fungal infection (mycosis) is conceivable. In the thoracic region, swelling or cysts as well as changes in the heart and adjacent tissue can cause lumping in the throat.

Frequent triggers for the unpleasant sensation in the throat are a harmless cold, ear infections or bronchitis. In about a quarter of all cases, gastroesophageal reflux develops in addition to lumping. This is an increased reflux of digestive juices into the esophagus, which colloquially is often referred to as heartburn.

Often, a cold with a cough, runny nose or sore throat is the reason for the tightness in the throat. (Picture: Picture-Factory / fotolia.com)

Cause tension

In addition to the organic causes, tight muscles and connective tissue can cause a lumping sensation. These are caused, for example, by scarring of operations on or in the neck (for example, thyroid or almond operations) or malpositions of the head or the whole body. Likewise, "bad habits" such as a habitual tension of the laryngeal muscles during physical exertion or strong concentration quickly to tension.

Mental causes with lump in the throat

The psyche plays a central role in a lump in the throat. Mental stress such as unresolved conflicts, anxiety or stress and diseases such as Depression often results in a temporary or permanent feeling of pressure or foreign body in the throat without any organic cause. In these cases, swallowing and breathing are often felt to be difficult or painful. Often, those affected feel that they have to constantly clear their throat.

Therapy for globe feeling

Which form of treatment is useful depends on the underlying disease. Accordingly, it is indispensable that it is medically clarified whether the symptoms have an organic, functional or psychological cause or where there are connections.

In the case of a thyroid problem, regulation is usually medicated so that the lumping sensation can usually be alleviated quickly and effectively. In an inflammation, e.g. The esophagus also uses appropriate medication. In some cases, an operation is inevitable, such as when a tumor or in the worst case, a tumor must be removed.

With a chronic feeling of lumpiness in the throat, a so-called "swallowing therapy" is recommended in many cases, in order to achieve a recovery or improvement of the swallowing and coughing reflex. Through guided muscle exercises or changes in body posture while eating, the symptoms can often be alleviated in this way.

If a cold is the cause, usually no therapy is necessary, because here the unpleasant feeling in the throat usually disappears with the onset of the infection itself. If necessary, at most with mild cold remedies can be tried to support the recovery. Instead of medication, however, proven home remedies for cold can often already bring about a relief of the symptoms and should therefore be preferred.

With a flu infection, home remedies are often enough to relieve symptoms such as throat scratching and globe feeling. (Image: frogstyle / fotolia.com)

Treatment for mental dysentery

Depending on their severity, psychological causes are treated with outpatient or inpatient psychotherapy, which can also be supported by medication. Behind a feeling of tightness in the throat, for example, fears can be hidden, which find expression on a physical level.

By self-reflection or as part of a conversation therapy is trying to find out what the victim is metaphorically "in the throat" or who or what "drives him into the corner". Questions like "What do I not want to swallow '?" Or "In which areas do I not have enough space?" Can help to understand and work on underlying conflicts and problems.

In addition, so-called avoidance and coping strategies are often developed by which the patient learns to divert the concentration away from the symptom and thereby, for example, to suppress the stimulus-enhancing hawking or coughing.

Naturopathy with lump in the throat

In addition to the therapeutic approaches in the conventional medical and psychological therapeutic area, naturopathy offers a variety of alternative approaches to treat a lump in the throat or throat area.

Osteopathy, for example, assumes that (after exclusion of organic causes) a feeling of tightness in the neck is often caused by blockages of the cervical spine. Accordingly, the osteopathic treatment is attempted to bring the disturbed functional groups back into balance by means of special pressure and traction techniques and to alleviate the daduruch symptoms without side effects.

From the point of view of osteopathy, a lump in the neck often results from blockages of the cervical spine. The aim of the treatment is therefore to detect and eliminate them. (Image: bmf-foto.de/fotolia.com)

The "Sensorimotor Body Therapy" by Dr. med. Helga Pohl assumes that the cause of a feeling of lumpiness in the neck is often functional, that is to say resulting from tense muscles and connective tissue as a result of operations, incorrect loading, etc. Of course, this only applies if an organic cause could be excluded.

At the center of the treatment according to this model is therefore first a connective tissue treatment of skin and subcutaneous tissue of the front neck or the place where the lump is perceived to curb the hypersensitivity to stimuli by repeated use. In addition, there are muscle treatments in which the affected muscles on the neck, but also the head-turning muscles, the hyoid muscles as well as the muscles on the spine and palate are processed with pressure and movement. As a result, these are not only more relaxed but also consciously easier to control.

Furthermore, the treatment of bad posture and respiratory problems plays an important role in sensorimotor body therapy. For this purpose, a body awareness training is used in addition. In addition to the conscious relaxation of each tense musculature, this also serves to raise awareness and to discard "bad habits", for example, to always stand or sit at work.

In case of a cold, natural home remedies for coughs or runny nose can often be an effective help. In order to support the removal of mucus, sweaty teas, for example with linden, elderflower or rosehips, are suitable.

Recipe for lime blossom tea Add 2 tsp of lime blossom to a cup Pour over this with 250 ml of boiling water Let the tea draw for 10 minutes before drinking

An aromatherapy with tea tree oil works against cold viruses, supports the self-healing powers and can strengthen the immune system. For easy application add about 5 drops of the oil to a tissue and inhale several times a day. For the night you can drip a few drops on her pillow.

Inhaling can be helpful in case of a cold-induced foreign body sensation in the throat. (Image: Carmen Steiner / fotolia.com)

Effective home remedies for sore throats include cold quark wrap or inhalations with chamomile, thyme and oregano. The medicinal herbs have an anti-inflammatory effect and relieve the unpleasant, scratchy feeling in the throat.

Herbal inhalation Add chamomile, thyme and oregano in equal parts and mix the herbs Put 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a heat-resistant bowl Pour 1 liter of hot water over it Bend over the bowl and cover it with a towel, so that no steam escapes, covering your head and torso Inhale the vapor slowly and alternately through the mouth and nose for about 10 minutes For acute complaints, the application should be performed twice a day Danger: Do not keep your face too close to the hot liquid to avoid scalding.

Breathing exercises and hypnotherapy

Breathing exercises are very suitable for treating a lumping sensation in the neck, through which sufferers can (re-) develop a "liberated" feeling by means of special techniques. Images and symbols, as they are stimulated in imaginative procedures and hypnotherapy, can deepen the effect. Here, according to self-organizing principle, each of the appropriate images, such as the "vastness of the sky", the "fresh mountain air" or a sanatorium with brine pool. "Inner healers" can be activated and cause relief or healing with colors, sounds and soothing applications.

Furthermore, acupuncture and stress relief procedures often have a positive effect. These include medical Qigong, yoga or autogenic training. In the field of homeopathy, in particular potassium iodatum and potassium phosphoricum are used to relieve the symptoms. (nr, last updated on 17.11.2016)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)