A spasm in the throat is a rare and serious change in the functioning of the larynx. There are several reasons for which such a pathological condition may occur. Discomfort can occur suddenly and for no reason. Under such conditions, a person feels discomfort in the process of swallowing food and during the inhalation of exhalation, an attack of suffocation may occur. Quite often, an attack occurs at night. In this regard, the patient has a feeling of fear and anxiety. Therefore, everyone should know the main causes of spasm in the throat. Only after a thorough medical diagnosis should the doctor prescribe complex therapy, since self-medication can harm and provoke the development of serious health problems.
Spasm causes
Under the influence of negative environmental factors, spasm of the larynx may occur. Sometimes, this condition is caused by irritation or trauma. The main causes of situational throat spasm include:
- taking medications that have an antispasmodic side effect;
- stress;
- systematic experiences;
- severe overwork;
- inhalation of air that contains irritating substances.
If you inaccurately consume food and interact with an allergen, a throat spasm may occur. Under such conditions, problems arise in the work of the respiratory system. Spasm develops due to severe irritation of the nerves that are in the pharynx, this happens with tumors of the esophagus, aneurysm, tetanus. If the patient has a feeling of having a foreign body in the throat and has breathing problems, a thorough medical examination should be performed to help determine the disease that triggered the onset of an unpleasant symptom.
What pathologies often cause spasms?
There are several pathological conditions on the basis of which laryngeal cramps may occur. These include:
- endocrine diseases;
- mental disorder;
- infection.
With laryngitis, an acute form of tonsillitis, pharyngitis, a spasm in the throat often occurs. If a person has a disease of the stomach and intestines, musculoskeletal system, then a spasmodic condition often occurs.
The main symptoms of spasm
There are several symptoms based on which you can identify an antispasmodic state, namely:
- The breathing process is changing. During inspiration, the patient feels a slight whistle and a strong cough.
- A spasm can range from a few minutes to several hours, days.
- A feeling of having a foreign body in the throat.
- The patient tries to drink as much water as possible to improve health, but the feeling of a lump does not cease to bother the patient.
- The spasm becomes stronger during meals.
- There is severe soreness in the throat.
"Throat coma - what is it?" many patients ask. When a person chokes on food, there is a similar feeling of a coma in the throat, the only difference is that when you feel the foreign body is absent. Due to the pathological tension of the neck muscles, severe pain occurs. If you press on the throat, then the discomfort intensifies, the skin takes on a pale color. With a prolonged antispasmodic state, the throat acquires a blue tint. If there is a slight degree of suffocation of the throat, then the cramps will pass after a few minutes. This time will be enough to normalize the functioning of the respiratory and swallowing organs. If timely treatment of laryngeal spasm is not carried out, then additional symptoms appear in the form of:
- cramps
- foam from the mouth;
- sharp loss of reason.
Under such conditions, the cardiovascular system is disrupted. If timely therapy is not carried out, serious complications can occur - up to the death of the patient.
Spasm while eating or after
Feeling of a lump in the throat - what is it? In this condition, it seems to a person that something is stuck in the throat, but there is no foreign body. Sudden muscle cramps in the throat and esophagus may occur during food consumption. Such a process can occur both during meals and after. Under such conditions, severe discomfort occurs and the general well-being of a person worsens. If you swallow sharp fish bones, this will provoke a change in the patency of the esophagus. To solve the problem, doctors use the surgical method of therapy. Due to the use of a sharp and fatty dish, a reflux disease can occur. Under such conditions, the acidity of the juice in the stomach increases. In order to prevent the development of a health problem, it is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner and undergo a thorough medical examination.
Endocrine diseases
Cramps often occur due to endocrine diseases of the throat. If a thyroid disease occurs, respiratory function may be impaired, while there is a sensation of constriction of the throat. Such symptoms develop due to painful proliferation of glandular tissue. If the thyroid gland has increased slightly, then a person has the following symptoms of laryngeal spasm:
- sweating
- asthenia;
- irritability and diarrhea;
- heart palpitations;
- tremor of hands.
If one of the signs of the disease appears, you need to visit a doctor. Self-medication can cause complications. At the subsequent stages of the development of the disease, the throat is squeezed, so many people just want to scream - "I can not breathe!". With damage to the parathyroid gland, a severe muscle spasm in the throat can occur. If the parathyroid hormone decreases, then there will be a deficiency of calcium and phosphates. As a result, intolerable convulsions develop. Pain can cover all muscles, with the exception of the esophagus.
Neuropsychiatric disorder
When neuropsychiatric disorders occur, spasms in the throat may occur. In order to refute or confirm the pathology, you need to visit a doctor and carry out a thorough diagnosis. Most often, symptoms of spasm in neurosis occur due to:
- Conflict
- strong feelings;
- stress
- prolonged overvoltage.
With the appearance of many mental illnesses, an asthma attack occurs, a feeling of vacuum in the throat and body temperature rises. With the slightest irritation, a nervous breakdown can occur. A person wants to shout - "I can not breathe!". With neurosis, the stomach, heart hurts, the patient is afraid to die. Such experiences negatively affect the general health of the patient, therefore severe spasms in the throat and drying out in the mouth occur. In addition, breathing is difficult and the larynx is numb, the voice disappears. Sometimes a tantrum begins. When one of the symptoms of a psychosomatic spasm of the larynx appears, it is important to consult a doctor and not self-medicate. Only the attending physician can prescribe medications that will help eliminate the disease.
The appearance of laryngospasm
Laryngospasm is one of the most common types of spasm that can occur as a contraction of the pharyngeal muscle of an involuntary nature. It develops suddenly and is accompanied by a violation in the work of the respiratory system, often shortness of breath occurs. With a severe course of such a pathological condition, severe asphyxiation develops, such a phenomenon is dangerous to human life and can lead to his death. Quite often there is a sharp reduction in the pharynx in children.
Cramping in children
Among the main factors that provoke the development of such a pathological condition are:
- the development of an infectious disease in the body of the child;
- exposure to an allergen;
- prolonged use of drugs;
- calcium and vitamin D deficiency
The main symptoms of an antispasmodic throat include:
- sore throat and chest;
- inability to reproduce sound and swallow food;
- a feeling of having a foreign body in the throat.
“I'm suffocating,” the child might think. In frequent cases, after a few minutes, the state of health improves, with a severe course of laryngospasm, you should immediately go to the hospital or call an ambulance team. In the process of development of pathology in children, more pronounced clinical symptoms arise:
- coughing and barking;
- the skin becomes pale in color - this phenomenon may occur due to fear of the baby, prolonged crying.
Under what conditions does the larynx swell and there is an acute shortage of oxygen. If you start the pathology, then foam appears from the mouth, the face turns blue and the person loses consciousness. In this case, immediately call an ambulance crew.
First aid
Laryngeal spasm in adults can last several seconds and go away on their own. With longer cramps, the patient should be immediately helped and an ambulance called. How to get rid of spasms of the throat? First of all, it is necessary:
- provide a calm environment for the patient;
- open windows for airing the room;
- give a drink of water;
- if the patient lost consciousness, then it is necessary to use ammonia.
If such recommendations did not help to improve the general well-being of the patient, and he says: "I am suffocating!" - it is necessary to ask the victim to hold his breath and pat him on the back, artificially induce vomiting. With a long attack, you need to take a bath with warm water. Thanks to such an event, tension will be relieved and the muscles of the pharynx relaxed. A specific treatment is prescribed by a doctor, depending on the cause that triggered the development of spasms of the throat.
How to relieve spasm of the larynx at home? In case of an allergic attack, it is necessary to drink an antihistamine. With the help of "Suprastin", "Diphenhydramine", "Tavegil", throat suffocation is treated. If spasms occur due to an asthmatic attack, bronchodilators must be used. With the help of "Ephedrine", "Teofedrin", "Onosma" the patient is treated. Thanks to Berodual, you can quickly eliminate spasms in the throat. If there are problems with breathing due to the development of a laryngeal tumor, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. You should be aware that any drug should be prescribed strictly by a doctor, depending on the severity of the patient's condition and its physiological characteristics.
Preventative measures
Cramps in the throat can occur in every person. In order to minimize the possible risk, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of specialists. These include:
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- include only healthy foods in the diet;
- Do not worry and do not be nervous;
- timely treat diseases;
- regularly undergo a medical examination.
A spasm of the muscles of the larynx is an unpleasant and dangerous painful condition that can lead to the death of the patient. Therefore, if one of the symptoms of a throat spasm is detected, you need to visit a doctor. Under such conditions, serious complications will not occur.
Alternative methods of treatment
How to treat laryngeal spasm? Sometimes non-drug methods may come to the rescue. Folk remedies can eliminate spasms in the larynx. Before carrying out therapy, it is necessary to visit a doctor in order to identify the cause that provoked the appearance of an unpleasant symptom. Among the most effective alternative methods of spasm therapy are:
- Onion husk treatment. It is necessary to fill in 2 tbsp. l dry potion 300 ml of hot water. Insist 10 minutes. Strain before use. Drink 1 glass of medicinal product before bedtime.
- With the help of chamomile infusion, spasms can be effectively eliminated and the overall well-being of a person can be improved. To prepare a medicinal product, add 2 tbsp. In a liter of boiling water. l flowers. Drink a healing drink several times a day for 150 g.
- Thanks to honey and kefir, you can relax spasmodic muscles. On an empty stomach, you need to eat honey (1 tsp) and drink kefir (150 g).
In the event that throat massage, rest and folk methods did not help, you need to visit a doctor, since this condition causes discomfort to the patient and prevents him from leading a full and familiar lifestyle. The duration of the course of drug treatment should be prescribed strictly by a doctor. Self-medication can harm. Healing herbs have exactly the same powerful effect as tablets, so it’s better not to risk it and seek help from a specialist.
Note to patient
In the event that spasms in the throat occur systematically, then this indicates that a serious violation has occurred in the functioning of the human body. Under such conditions, it is necessary to conduct a medical examination in order to identify a disease that provoked the development of an unpleasant symptom. The cause of spasm of the larynx will be determined by the doctor. It is not recommended to take medications at home without a doctor's prescription, since many medicines have contraindications and side effects. In order to prevent the development of serious health problems, you need not to delay the trip to a specialist, conduct a comprehensive treatment.