
Felt Airlock In The Throat While Running. Should I Be Worried?

One of the factors can be age related, your age being 56 years can lead to the symptoms you are describing.
Secondly your medical history of slight emphysema can also affect the vital capacity of your lungs and hence lead do the symptom of air block which you are experiencing.
I wanted to know whether you have any habit of smoking or any other addiction as this can also affect the vital capacity of lungs and hence your exercise capacity.
Other thing which might be affecting is sudden gain in weight, so wanted to know if there is any change in weight off late?
And also wanted to know if you recently suffered from any illness or hospitalized for any reason which might lead to weakness and affect exercise capacity.
Please answer the above queries and would advice you further if any tests are required.
One thing which you can start off immediately is deep breathing exercises which helps improving the vital capacity of your lungs and hence exercise tolerance.
Don't worry, every thing would be fine.
Take care.
Dr. Rishma Lakhani


I'm not overweight I way 90 kilos
No illness or hospitalization
I had some phlegm in my mouth that I was trying to spit out whilst running. It happened twice in about 10 minutes
The habit of smoking is the one, I think you need to change.
Difficult to stop smoking all of a sudden, but you can atleast try to reduce the number, which would help you a lot.
Probably the phlegm would have caused the airlock, which you were trying to spit it out. May be taking breath while spitting simultaneously might have led to the airlock.
I don't think you need to worry, just reduce smoking gradually and continue the deep breathing exercise.
If you experience the same thing again we would investigate it further.
Don't worry, take care.
Dr. Rishma Lakhani


Phlegm does not stop breathing, it momentarily restricts breathing while you are trying to spit it out.
So when you are trying to spit it, and simultaneously if you are exercising then temporarily you might feel like airlock, which you experienced.
Take care.
Dr. Rishma Lakhani

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