Yesterday everything was fine, but today there was a sore throat when swallowing. What to do, how to get rid of it? Do not hope that this ailment will quickly pass and leave no trace. Yes, it happens, but not always. This symptom cannot be ignored. It is the first sign of many serious diseases.
Types of pain
Pain when swallowing is different. Some feel like a thousand needles stuck in the throat, others are haunted by a stuck lump, and so on.
Pain sensations are as follows:
- dry;
- burning;
- edema;
- tickle;
- stabbing sharp;
- cutting;
- bursting.
Discomfort most often appears with tension of the ligaments, swallowing movements. If the sore throat radiates to the ear when swallowing, the hearing aid may be inflamed. The infection, which started in the nasopharynx, spread further and affected the middle ear.
The presence of pain when swallowing, but the throat itself does not hurt, suggests that all somatic diseases accompanied by inflammatory processes should be excluded. In this case, the reason may be:
- problems of the cardiovascular system,
- obesity,
- enlarged thyroid,
- neurological ailments.
Causes of pathology
There were pains in the throat when swallowing. The causes of this disease can be different. Let's talk about each of them separately:
- Viral diseases. Painful sensations in the throat appear with tonsillitis, influenza and SARS. This symptom is also found in pharyngitis.
- Bacteria. Various bacteria enter the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx. They cause inflammation of the throat. These diseases include streptococcal tonsillitis.
- Allergy. When an allergic reaction occurs, the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, and eyes become inflamed. An allergy attack provokes irritation of the pharynx. Painful sensations appear.
- Foreign body. Sore throat when swallowing appears when it gets into it: dust, a piece of food and other foreign bodies.
- Dry indoor air causes your throat to dry out. The load on the nasopharynx increases during swallowing and breathing, causing pain.
- Irritation of the mucous membranes of the throat occurs when air with smoke and dust is inhaled.
- Tumors that are on the tongue, mouth, larynx and throat.
- HIV infection. Sometimes its symptom is a sore throat when swallowing.
Pain on one side
There are many reasons that cause pain in the throat on one side. Discomfort on the right, most likelytalks about acute pharyngitis and tonsillitis. The same symptom is accompanied by a cold.
In addition, pain when swallowing on one side of the throat provokes such diseases:
- otitis media;
- Aphthous stomatitis;
- scarlet fever;
- adenoiditis;
- rubella;
- chickenpox and others.
More dangerous pathologies that cause discomfort when swallowing on the right include:
- acute lymphadenitis,
- meningitis, oncology,
- meningoencephalitis.
Provoke pain on one side of the throat:
- enlarged lymph nodes;
- extension of laryngeal muscles;
- work in hazardous production;
- breathing polluted air;
- compromised immunity;
- age;
- poor hygiene.
Pain when swallowing on one side can rarely occur with gastroesophageal reflux, sexually transmitted diseases, neurotic disorders.
Urgent doctor
Do not waste a minute, go to the doctor if you have the following symptoms in addition to severe pain in the throat when swallowing:
- high temperature persists for a long time;
- general weakness appeared;
- increased lymph nodes in the neck;
- hard to talk (very hard to open mouth);
- swelling in the mouth and neck;
- began to yawn and sneeze often, besides this, hoarseness and cough appeared;
- appeared runny nose and crampsin the nasal cavity:
- strong lacrimation;
- droplets of blood began to appear in the sputum secreted when coughing or runny nose.
Be sure to visit a specialist if you suffer from pain in the muscles or joints, the skin is covered with a rash or blisters.
Call an ambulance immediately for swelling of the throat and difficulty breathing.
And yet, you can’t do without a doctor if the sore throat when swallowing does not go away for more than seven days. Even medicines do not help.
There is pain - no temperature
Many believe that a sore throat is always accompanied by a high temperature. This is not entirely true. The catarrhal appearance is accompanied by sore throat when swallowing without fever. In this case, the tonsils increase, but there is no plaque on them. By itself, this disease is not dangerous, but it can provoke serious complications.
The body temperature does not rise when a foreign body enters the throat. In this case, in addition to pain, appears:
- tingling and pressure in throat;
- cough and difficulty breathing.
You should not get the item yourself, immediately go to a specialist.
Pain in the throat when swallowing without fever appears due to previous injuries: burns, damage by small objects, fish bones, and so on.
The following diseases create soreness without temperature:
- osteochondrosis,
- neurosis,
- tumors,
- panic attacks.
Laryngitis and pharyngitis can occur with or without fever.
Pathology with temperature
Now let's talk about ailments that are accompanied by sore throat when swallowing with temperature:
- Influenza, SARS. In addition to a sore throat, cough, headaches, runny nose, the temperature rises to thirty-eight degrees and above.
- As already mentioned, pharyngitis can also be accompanied by a slight temperature. Especially if it proceeds in an acute form. The symptoms of the disease include: inflamed lymph nodes, moderate intoxication, swelling of the throat, the appearance of pus.
- Abscess after injury. Pain on one side of the throat (with a pharyngeal abscess), the temperature rises to thirty-nine degrees. Difficulties arise not only when swallowing, but also when breathing.
- Infectious mononucleosis. Severe sore throat when swallowing, fever accompany this disease. In addition, the lymph nodes are enlarged, the spleen or liver is damaged. The temperature is high and lasts for about ten days.
- Acute laryngitis also occurs with a slight temperature.
- Acute tonsillitis. The temperature rises to forty degrees.
Diagnosis
Before prescribing treatment, the doctor makes a diagnosis using the following methods:
- Acquisition of anamnesis: when pain appeared, what accompanied it, contact with infectious patients and so on.
- Examination: the cervical and submandibular lymph nodes are examined, the presence of pain when feeling the neck.
- Pharingoscopy: examination of the throat.
- Laryngoscopy:the state of the larynx is being studied. More correct results can be obtained using a rigid laryngoscope and a flexible fibrolaryngoscope.
- If plaque is found on the tonsils, a swab is taken to determine the causative agent of diphtheria.
- In case of infections, swabs are taken for pathogenic fungi. This procedure is also prescribed to determine the sensitivity of microorganisms to various antibiotics.
- If there is a suspicion of an increase in the styloid process, an X-ray or CT scan is prescribed.
If the cause of the sore throat could not be found, the patient is sent for a consultation with a neurologist.
Pain relief tips
Although the symptoms of all diseases that cause acute pain in the throat when swallowing are very similar, they need to be treated differently. That's why it's important to get the diagnosis right.
But until you get to the doctor, you need to know how to relieve pain. A few recommendations:
- Use anesthetic lozenges. They will help relieve symptoms. Purchase the product only in a pharmacy.
- Never wrap a scarf around your neck.
- Drink more warm, but not hot, liquids. You can add lemon, raspberry jam or honey to it. This drink helps boost immunity.
- A decoction made from calendula or chamomile flowers will help alleviate the condition. This product is recommended for gargling.
- Reduce swelling and inflammation throat gargle with s alt and iodine.
- Warm water, with dissolved furacilin tablets,will also help get rid of sore throats.
- Indoor air should be humidified.
These recommendations will help alleviate the condition, but be sure to consult a doctor. Only he will tell you how to do everything right.
Traditional treatment
There was a sore throat when swallowing. What to treat? This question immediately arises. Only a specialist can answer it correctly. Treatment depends on the cause of the pathology. The following methods are used:
- Homeopathic remedies.
- Drugs.
- Surgery.
- Physiotherapy.
Now let's talk about alternative medicine:
- Inhalation. In the absence of temperature, you can inhale the vapors of boiled potatoes. Medicinal herbs are used for these purposes. They have anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, analgesic effect. You can use hot water with a few drops of essential oil (chamomile, pine, tea tree) for inhalation.
- Rinse. For this procedure, saline solution is best suited, sea s alt is used. A good remedy for gargling are decoctions of medicinal herbs: coltsfoot, calendula, sage and others.
- Warming up. A warm compress (a bag of warm s alt or an alcohol-based compress) is applied to the neck area.
- Teas and decoctions. Medicinal plants are used for their preparation: raspberries, thyme, currant leaves, linden leaves, mint, St. John's wort and others. It is recommended to add honey to these decoctions and teas.
Before using all these remedies, you should consult your doctor.
Drug therapy
If the causative agent of the disease is harmful microorganisms, then antibiotics are prescribed. This is done by the doctor. He decides which of the drugs will work best in a particular case. To get rid of the disease, drugs are used: penicillin, tetracycline, macrolide group.
For sore throat when swallowing, treatment is prescribed, depending on the cause of the pathology, on the severity of the disease. If the etiology of the disease is viral, antiviral agents are prescribed.
What are the most commonly used medications?
- "Amoxiclav". It is accepted only from the age of twelve. The mass of the child must be at least forty kilograms. This drug is suitable for complex therapy.
- "Erythromycin". The drug is used to treat many bacterial disorders. The duration of therapy is ten days, in severe cases up to two weeks.
- "Sumamed". Suppresses the most complex infectious diseases, including tonsillitis. Side effects are minimal.
Remember! Do not use antibiotics without first consulting a doctor.
Now let's talk about sore throats when swallowing such as lozenges, sprays and anti-allergic drugs.
- "Septolete". Is anoral antiseptic. Used from the age of four. The course is no more than seven days.
- "Bioparox". This is an aerosol. It contains a strong antibiotic. While taking the drug, you should use means to protect the stomach. Duration of application - no more than a week.
- "Strepsils". A very popular drug. Can be given to children over twelve years of age. After drinking it, it is forbidden to drink and eat for an hour.
- "Tavegil". It will relieve swelling, pain, if the cause of the symptoms is an allergen. It is a good antihistamine.
- "Rivtagil". Quickly relieves allergy symptoms. The duration of application is from five to fourteen days.
- "Citrine". It will also help to get rid of the sore throat caused by the allergen.
Lozenges, aerosols should not be taken for a long time. They relieve pain, but do not kill germs.
Continuing the conversation
Let's talk a little more about the drugs used for sore throat when swallowing. Their treatment will help alleviate the condition. These include a variety of syrups, sprays, potions, tablets, lozenges.
Don't ignore a sore throat as soon as it appears (early).
- Pain is caused by a virus or microbes - antiviral and antibacterial drugs are prescribed ("Cephalosporin", "Penicillin").
- Sprays and aerosols are used for local exposure. Most often it is ten percent Lidocaine,"Pharmaceptic".
- "Tantum Verde" is great for getting rid of acute and viral pharyngitis.
- "Ingalipt". It contains essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus.
- Tablets and lozenges for resorption have a longer effect. They evenly envelop the oral cavity and last for several hours.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine will help get rid of sore throats. A few recipes that will improve your condition:
- Spoon of honey with warm milk. Drink the remedy and go to bed.
- Warm tea with honey, lemon, ginger. The last ingredient can be changed to raspberries.
- You can make your own sucking candies. Drop anise oil on a piece of sugar and put it in your mouth.
- Mix in equal proportions: honey, apple, onion (preferably mild). Chop apple and onion. Use the resulting mass four times a day.
- You can gargle with saline solution (five times a day).
- Crushed garlic and onions are added to the milk. The composition boils, cools. Taken every two hours for a few sips.
- Eat more citrus fruits. Vitamin C will strengthen immunity several times.
You can use beet juice for rinsing. Linden, mint, sage, St. John's wort have a positive effect on the throat.
Prevention measures
In order for pain not to create discomfort, you should follow some rules:
- Treatment of diseases of the throat, nose, ear should be carried out in a timely manner.
- Try to avoid contact with sick people to prevent infection. When in contact with them, use masks, respirators, gauze bandages.
- Don't get cold.
- Avoid areas with a lot of smoke, use personal protective equipment for the upper respiratory tract.
- Take care of your vocal cords.
- Be careful while eating, avoid getting a foreign body in the throat.
- Get rid of problems with the gastrointestinal tract in time.
- Keep a he althy lifestyle, give up bad habits.
- Don't forget about sports, moderate exercise is good.
- Eat right. Eat foods high in fiber.
- At the first sign of illness, see a doctor.
In closing
As you can see, even a slight sore throat when swallowing can be a symptom of a difficult illness. Do not self-medicate, consult a doctor. Only he will correctly diagnose and prescribe treatment. And you just have to strictly follow his appointments.
