What Causes Severe Cough Along With Back Pain?

Posted on Sat, 6 Dec 2014

Question: At supper I felt like when inhaling a piece of food went down the wrong way. I was able to drink and speak a little, but I felt like coughing. I went to the bathroom and coughed hard a couple times, but I didn't notice any food come up. Now I am worried that I aspirated some food. Two days later I have a small, chesty cough. My back hurts when I cough. I am on vacation and going home in two days. Do I need to check this out? Is it likely it went into my lungs? What would the symptoms be and reasons to seek treatment. Can it wait until I am back home? I am a generally anxious person so can't be objective sometimes, so I am not sure if I am being hypochondriac.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Naveen Kumar Nanjasetty (52 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Consult a doctor for other queries lingering

Detailed Answer:
Hi

Thanks for posting the query

It is very unusual to aspirate food material by a conscious, healthy adult, unless under the influence of alcohol intoxication.

1. If at all you had aspirated the food, then you would have got repeated cough. Breathing difficulty will be noticed depending on the location of the foreign body and fever in longstanding cases.

2. The pain in the back could be due to the violent effort made to cough.

3. I would suggest you to consult a doctor and get a complete check up done. This will not only rule out the foreign body aspiration but also give you a piece of mind.

Hope I have answered this query; I'll be available for the follow up queries.

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

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar