Feeling Something Stuck At The Back Of Tongue. What Should I Do?

Hi

Thanks for the query

The feeling of something stuck in the throat, in the absence of any signs of infection could be due to acid reflux from the stomach into the throat.

Acid when it regurgitates from the stomach into the throat, causes burning of the mucosa of the throat leading to inflammation of the throat. Inflammation of the mucosa in turn induces swelling in the mucosa of the throat giving rise to foreign body sensation.

The causes of reflux of acid are many; medicines, obesity, stress, food habits, smoking, alcohol, etc. Identifying the causative factors and avoiding them can give you relief from this problem.

My suggestion to you is:
1. To drink plenty of warm water
2. Avoid coffee/alcohol/stress/retiring to bed immediately after taking food.
3. Try taking medicines such as proton pump inhibitors (Esomeprazole, Pantoperazole) and prokinetics (Domperidone).

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Hi

Thanks for writing back

In some individuals there exists silent reflux, wherein the acid reflux is not actually perceived, but the certain minor symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux such as sensation of lump or foreign body sensation is felt.

Although silent reflux is harder to diagnose than GERD, a doctor can diagnose it through a combination of a medical history, physical exam, and one or more tests such as endoscopic examination and 24 hour acid pH monitoring.

Apart from this, hypertrophied lingual tonsils in the back of the tongue can also cause grating sensation over the back of the throat, which is relatively harmless and can be confirmed only after examination of the throat.

If you are still not convinced, you can consult your doctor for a complete evaluation of the throat.

I wish you good health.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Hi

Welcome back

I would still stick on to the comments I made in my previous responses. Without examining the throat it is difficult to pin point the exact cause.

In my previous response, I also mentioned that, there could also be a possibility of enlarged or hypertrophied lingual tonsil. The lingual tonsils are present over the back of the tongue, behind the posterior tonsillar pillar. Any enlargement of these lymphoid follicles can give rise to the sensation of ‘something stuck’ in the throat.

Finally, trauma over the tongue following ingestion of some food, could have caused inflammation over the back of the tongue giving rise to your symptoms. But as there is no mention of any trauma, the above cause is also ruled out.

Hence, we are left with other commonest causes such as laryngo-pharyngeal reflux or hypertrophied lingual tonsils, which could be confirmed only after examining your throat.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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