If you eat your favourite food, do you feel pain in your neck when swallowing it? If you pay attention to the specific symptoms of swallowing pain, the cause is usually apparent. Sharp or dull ache may be felt in the throat or food pipe while swallowing based on its cause.
Strep Throat and Tonsillitis are common causes of pain when swallowing. Oesophagus and Swollen Lymph nodes may also lead to this problem. Generally, eating discomfort is temporary and passes within a few days. However, you should seek proper treatment to minimize or eliminate neck pain when swallowing.
What Causes Pain in the Neck When Swallowing?
1. Strep Throat
Most people who experience pain while swallowing suffer from throat infections such as Strep Throat. Pain and red spots may also appear on the soft palate in people with strep throat.
It is straightforward for family members to catch strep throat from each other. Most commonly, it affects children but can also affect adults.
It is rare for the streptococcal throat to cause a severe illness like a condition that harms the heart valves. Thus, it’s essential to diagnose and treat strep throat correctly. Strep throat usually disappears within ten days of receiving proper treatment.
2. Tonsillitis
It is also possible for Tonsillitis to cause neck pain when swallowing. A tonsils infection is known as Tonsillitis, which affects the lymph nodes behind the tonsils. The condition is common and causes pain when swallowing.
Tonsillitis is a contagious disease that can spread from one person to another. Several bacteria and viruses can cause Tonsillitis, including strep throat.
There is a possibility that people with Tonsillitis will also experience bad breath and swollen tonsils. It’s crucial to diagnose Tonsillitis promptly since different types of treatment are available.
Tonsil removal by surgery is one of the most common treatments for Tonsillitis. Tonsillitis requires treatment when the disease occurs repeatedly or when other treatments do not control the condition.
3. Oesophagitis
When swallowing, you may experience neck pain caused by your Oesophagus. A food pipe, or Oesophagus, transports liquids and food from the mouth to the stomach.
As a result of inflammation of the Oesophagus, you may experience Oesophagitis disease. Oesophagitis most commonly occurs by gastric reflux disease, which results in stomach acid flowing back into the Oesophagus.
Other factors, including medication and reactions to allergies, can also contribute to this condition. Painful swallowing and stomach pain are the prime symptoms of Oesophagitis.
4. Swollen Lymph Nodes
A swollen lymph node is also one of the common causes of pain while swallowing. Several tiny lymph nodes in the body contain immune cells.
Their purpose is to keep you healthy by removing germs, bacteria, and viruses. Throughout your entire body, lymph nodes are present all over.
Your lymph nodes produce many immune cells during illness to fight the disease. Your neck lymph nodes may swell, which can be painful. Swollen Lymph nodes from viral infections usually return to normal after the treatment.
5. Carotidynia
Though Carotidynia is a rare case, it can also lead to pain in the neck when swallowing. The carotid artery provides blood to your brain, scalp, and other body parts.
This artery is present on both sides of your neck. Carotidynia happens due to the tenderness and pain in the carotid artery. Pain in the front of the neck occurs due to this rare condition.
It is unclear why some people develop Carotidynia. But some drugs and viral infections may contribute to it.
Conclusion
However, even though swallowing is uncomfortable, it is generally only a temporary condition. If you know the cause of the swallowing pain and treat it correctly, it should disappear within a few days.
For example, when someone has a cold and their neck hurts when they swallow, it will usually resolve within a week. Infections caused by bacteria or fungi typically respond quickly to treatment.
That said, home remedies are available to alleviate discomfort and alleviate symptoms for the time being. Consult your doctor as soon as possible if you have neck pain.
