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Nasopharyngeal pain
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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It happens that periodically in some organs there are disturbances or malfunctions. Also, pain in the nasopharynx appears. Such a phenomenon is very unpleasant, however, it indicates that a disease has appeared in the ENT area.
The nasopharynx is a sieve through which many diseases pass. Most pathogenic microbes die before reaching their destination and do not give any reaction. However, some of them, filtered by the nasopharynx organs, are retained and develop into some disease.
Pain in the nasopharynx, especially in the early stages, is removed quickly, and bacteria and viruses that cause diseases do not have time to harm the mucous membrane. The main thing is to correctly identify the causative agent of this very pain in the nasopharynx and undergo the most effective course of treatment.
[ Causes of pain in the nasopharynx
The most common cause of sore throat is simple inflammation. The organs of hearing, the nasal cavity, as well as the oral cavity or larynx can become inflamed. The first thing that can cause pain in the nasopharynx is tonsillitis. It causes a sore throat, redness, and an increase in overall body temperature. Similar symptoms are observed in all types of tonsillitis. But with purulent tonsillitis, a characteristic symptom appears - pustules form on the tonsils.
Acute respiratory viral infections and flu also have symptoms similar to angina. Only in this case, the body temperature can rise to 40 degrees, chills occur, headaches and a runny nose appear.
Pain in the nasopharynx can also be caused by chronic diseases of the nose - runny nose and sinusitis. In such a case, the frontal part, where the maxillary sinuses are located, also begins to bother. Increased pressure in them, characterized by sharp changes in the position of the head, as well as discharge from the nasal cavity characterize the stage of the disease and the speed of its progression.
If your nasopharynx hurts, you may have an inflammatory process in your inner ear - otitis. In this case, pain occurs not only in the auditory organs, but also in the throat area. In addition, general weakness of the body, headache and a consistently high body temperature are observed.
Pain in the nasopharynx can also be caused by more serious diseases.
For example, it happens that the pain in the nasopharynx is paroxysmal, it rolls up for a few minutes and then retreats for a while. During the retreat, the patient does not experience pain. If such attacks are repeated, urgently contact a neurologist, as in your case, most likely, damage to the peripheral nerves can be observed.
If the pain in the nasopharynx is sharp and sudden, it may indicate that you have received mechanical damage to the nasopharynx. Such cases often occur in children who try to put small parts of toys or food products in their nose or mouth. However, it happens that a person gets injuries as a result of eating coarse food - cuts or fish bones getting stuck in the body, fragments and sharp elements of crushed bones of animal origin. Such cases are not treated on their own, as this is very dangerous due to further injury to the nasopharynx, so you should contact a doctor. They will be able to prevent injury to internal organs.
If the pain, not related to inflammatory processes and mechanical damage, is constant, this in some cases indicates that there may be cancer in the nasopharynx at the last stage. In this case, it is necessary to check with an oncologist.
Symptoms of pain in the nasopharynx
The most common viral diseases that develop in the nasopharynx, doctors call adenovirus infections, influenza and parainfluenza. The most common bacterial sources of nasopharyngeal diseases are mycoplasma, pneumococcus and gram-negative hemophilic bacteria. In large cities with significantly developed industry, nasopharyngeal diseases caused by mycoplasma are most common.
The main symptoms of pain in the nasopharynx, which correspond to viral infectious agents, are a cough without expectoration, in which a little light mucus is released, hoarseness of the voice, a runny nose, and an increase in temperature.
With bacterial diseases of the nasopharynx, the lymph nodes located on both sides of the chin (the so-called submandibular glands) become enlarged, and a consistently high (about 38.5 degrees) body temperature is also observed.
If, after self-medication, your throat continues to cause discomfort for several days, you experience pain when swallowing, opening your mouth, and also when an allergic rash appears, the best solution would be to consult a doctor. If there are no acute symptoms, but the pain in the nasopharynx lasts longer than a week, then you also need to seek help from health workers.
If you delay seeking medical attention, complications may arise that will be much more difficult to bear and even more difficult to cure – advanced purulent tonsillitis, rheumatic heart disease, or even kidney inflammation.
Also, rhinitis can develop into more acute forms without the necessary treatment, which is fraught with inflammation of the maxillary sinuses or cells of the ethmoid labyrinth. Advanced rhinitis can develop into ethmoiditis or acute or chronic sinusitis. In this case, various parts of the nasopharyngeal mucosa will swell, which, if effective treatment is ignored, the disease can approach the brain.
Advanced otitis is also dangerous due to the appearance of various resulting diseases such as eustachitis, acute inflammation of the middle ear organs, and acute purulent otitis.
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Diagnosis of pain in the nasopharynx
To diagnose pain in the nasopharynx and determine an accurate diagnosis, you should pay attention to the nature and frequency of pain; color, consistency and amount of mucous or purulent discharge; size of lymph nodes; nature of cough; condition of the nose or ears; general condition, body temperature.
When self-medicating, you should also take into account that the disease does not go away quickly, and if, as it seemed to you, the disease has already retreated, it is still worth continuing the course of treatment. This is explained by the wave-like nature of inflammation, in which at one moment you can feel extremely bad, and at another - on the contrary, fresh and recovered. However, this state is deceptive.
Remember that an untreated disease is worse than one that was not treated at all. If the disease is simply neglected, there is a chance for a full recovery even with a late start of treatment. However, if the disease is not treated, then most likely it will develop into a chronic one and will recur with the slightest penetration of the pathogen into the body. A person who has a chronic disease is much more susceptible to any other acute respiratory diseases.
Treatment of pain in the nasopharynx
Treatment of pain in the nasopharynx should be carried out very carefully and delicately, since incorrectly selected treatment may not help, but on the contrary, harm and aggravate the acquired disease. So how to treat pain in the nasopharynx? What drugs are there for the effective treatment of severe pain in the nasopharynx?
For example, if it is established that the disease is viral in nature, then the prescribed drugs for medical treatment should be from the range of antiviral drugs. In the case of a bacterial pathogen, the drug should have an antibacterial effect. Remember that antibacterial drugs are powerless in the fight against viruses and vice versa - antiviral drugs will not give results if the disease is bacterial in nature.
However, there are drugs that are part of the main course of treatment and are interchangeable. These include amoxicillin/clavulanate in high concentrations (2 grams or more per day), 2nd-3rd generation cephalosporin tablets, and lincosamides or clindamycin.
In bacterial forms of tonsillitis, doctors often prescribe systemic antibiotics of the penicillin group. Here it is worth noting the time-tested drug phenoxymethylpenicillin in combination with interchangeable amine penicillins, cephalosporins, amoxicillin/clavulanate.
In acute respiratory diseases, treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that provide an analgesic effect is recommended - naproxen, paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen. However, children and adolescents are strictly prohibited from prescribing and taking aspirin.
For acute respiratory infections, antihistamines are prescribed, which block the action of histamine.
Natural herbal medicines are also used to treat respiratory diseases, for example, Sinupret for sinusitis. It promotes better discharge of unnecessary mucus from the nose and upper respiratory tract.
For local relief of the course of diseases the following are used:
- fusafungine is an antimicrobial agent used to relieve symptoms of upper respiratory tract inflammation;
- nasal sprays or drops containing antibacterial components - neomycin or polymyxin; reducing swelling and inflammation - dexamethasone; for vasoconstriction - phenylephrine. It is worth recalling that such topical medications are not recommended for use longer than 5-7 days in one course of treatment;
- For severe pain in the nasopharynx, various lozenges, gargles, aerosols, irrigation or inhalation medications are used;
- Imudon is prescribed to increase the content of immunocompetent cells.
Also, medical institutions practice the use of some vaccine preparations, which are best not selected or used independently at home.
How to prevent pain in the nasopharynx?
In order to reduce the risk of contracting various diseases, doctors recommend hardening and training your body, and in particular your voice.
To begin with, gradually lower the temperature of the water you drink. Hardening with water should begin with drinking liquid at room temperature and gradually move to chilled water, "straight from the refrigerator." This will help avoid inflammation when suddenly drinking cold water in the heat, for example.
It is also useful to accustom the body to coolness. So, in cool weather, do not rush to wrap yourself in shawls and scarves. Expose your throat to coolness in order to avoid quickly acquiring colds.
Don't forget about the practice of dousing. Since the Soviet Union, doctors have recommended dousing with cold water, contrast showers, and rubbing. Such procedures harden the body (if you don't overdo it with transitions), and also have a rejuvenating effect.
Some doctors claim that singing out loud also trains the throat and helps to avoid diseases. There is some truth in this statement, since singing strains the vocal cords. Regular straining and relaxing them improves their elasticity, which also contributes to overall health.
If your throat often becomes dry, drink water or, in more severe cases, drink a tablespoon of sunflower oil to lubricate the dry areas of the mucous membrane.
To strengthen the walls and mucous membrane of the nose, it is recommended to perform preventive rinsing with herbal infusions 1-2 times a week. After such rinsing, you should also rinse your mouth. This useful procedure reduces the number of pathogenic microbes on the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx.
Remember, pain in the nasopharynx is not a reason to be upset, but only a signal of an impending illness. Listen to your body, because it always signals what is happening to it. If you are not sure that the signal received from your body is correct, consult a specialist.