Pain in the larynx

The larynx contains vocal cords that allow a person to speak. The larynx is located in the back of the throat, just above the windpipe (trachea). In the larynx there is also a valve called an epiglottis. It covers the trachea so that food or liquids do not pass through it, which can then come to the lungs and cause a person suffocation. The most serious and common diseases of the larynx include laryngitis, croup (diphtheria), neoplasms on ligaments and cancer. What causes pain in the larynx, what are the symptoms of larynx diseases and how to treat them?

[1], [2], [3], [4]

Causes of the pain in the larynx

• Benign and malignant tumors of the larynx
• Contusions and fractures of cartilages that are in the larynx
• Poisoning with caustic liquids and acids
• Catarrhal diseases caused by viruses and bacteria (eg, laryngitis)
• Diphtheria of larynx, or croup
• Laryngeal tuberculosis
• Ingestion of foreign objects
• Ulcers of the larynx
• Polyps and knots on vocal cords

[5], [6], [7], [8]

Pathogenesis

The larynx (jokingly called a voice box) is located in the back of the throat, above the trachea, lower than the hyoid bone. The larynx is supported by rings of nine cartilages, 4 of which form the Adam's apple region.

Vocal cords are elastic bands of soft elastic tissue that are attached to the inside of the larynx. Air passing into the lungs and from the lungs is pushed through these bands. Cartilage movements allow the vocal cords to contract or relax, and this changes the pitch of the sound.

Other organs that affect the health of the larynx are the nose, mouth, tongue, jaw and throat. If one of these organs becomes ill, the person's voice first reports this with hoarseness or uncharacteristic sounds.

In the larynx, there is an important valve or valve called the epiglottis. It covers the trachea, when we swallow, so that the food does not go where you do not need it. When problems are heard with the epiglottis, food can not enter further into the esophagus, and this can cause pain giving to the larynx.

[9], [10], [11], [12]

Symptoms of the pain in the larynx

Symptoms of laryngeal diseases depend on the cause of the diseases, they can include:

• Hoarseness of voice
• Loss of voice
• Sore throat or larynx
• Sensation of soreness of the back of the throat
• A constant desire to clear your throat
• Labored breathing

At these signs necessarily address to the doctor - it can be signs of serious disease of a larynx.

Forms

Acute laryngitis

Acute laryngitis is characterized by a sudden inflammation of the larynx caused by a viral infection, for example, such as a cold, flu or measles. Abuse of such gift as a voice, if a person constantly screams or sings loudly, or irritation from cigarette smoke can also lead to diseases of the larynx. She blushes and swells. And, of course, it hurts.

Symptoms

• A voice resembling a dog barking
• Hoarseness
• Severe pain in the neck and throat
• Heat
• Cough
• Swelling of throat

Treatment

With acute laryngitis during treatment, you need to talk as little as possible, let the ligaments rest. The person is shown pain medication and steam inhalation, as well as a warm drink.

[13]

Chronic laryngitis

The persistent hoarseness of the voice in chronic laryngitis is almost always caused either by irritation from cigarette smoke, or by abuse of voice, frequent cries. Long-term exposure to air pollutants, such as dust, paints, can also cause irritation of the larynx and chronic laryngitis. The cause of chronic laryngitis can also be a bacterial or viral infection.

Symptoms

• Hoarseness is the first sign of laryngitis
• Heat
• Swelling of the throat
• Pain in the larynx
• Sore throat
• Cough

Treatment

With chronic laryngitis, you need a visit to the speech therapist, during the period of treatment you need to speak as little as possible, let the vocal cords rest. This disease shows steam inhalations and, if necessary, antibiotics to eliminate infections, as well as abundant warm drink.

[14], [15], [16]

Croup (diphtheria)

Croup is a form of viral laryngitis, characteristic of children aged six months to six years. The virus causes inflammation and swelling of the larynx and related organs, such as the trachea and respiratory tract, as well as the lungs.

[17], [18], [19], [20], [21],

Typical symptoms of croup include

• Cough that sounds like barking a dog
• Increased fever, chills
• Noisy breathing, which is often amplified at night
• Difficulty breathing due to airway edema.

The skin due to severe forms of croup can turn blue due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis). Blue skin can be localized in some of its areas (eg, mouth or fingers). Sometimes bacteria that cause diphtheria can affect the larynx, causing a life-threatening disease called epiglottitis. The child in this case suffers from a high temperature and can not swallow.

[22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28],

Treatment of diphtheria (croup)

Paracetamol is needed, rest and steam inhalations are, as a rule, all that is required to treat diphtheria (croup) in the initial stage. If a person with croup is difficult to breathe, usually a short course of corticosteroids is used. In severe cases of difficulty in breathing, the child needs to be hospitalized.

To treat the croup also used to spray in the throat of adrenaline and sometimes - intubation (when the end of the tube with the medicine is directly in the airway).

Ulcer of larynx

Careless handling of your own voice - cries, loud sounds - can damage the epiglottis. If a person cries often, an ulcer of the larynx may develop from an epiglottis injury. It is not for nothing that this disease is called a disease of lawyers, preachers and teachers - people who have to talk a lot about their duty. The larynx of the larynx can also provoke malnutrition (too much of the acute in the diet or too hard food that is badly chewed)

Symptoms

• Pain in the larynx when talking
• Sore throat when swallowing
• Hoarseness of voice

Treatment

During the treatment period, you can not strain the ligaments. It is necessary to treat with anti-ulcer means - histaminoblacitors for at least six weeks, while treating the larynx so as to avoid the recurrence of the disease.

Polyps, nodes and growths

Polyps, knots and growths on the vocal cords may be caused by chronic abuse of voice (for example, when a person often screams) or by prolonged exposure to irritants such as paint or cigarette smoke. Any neoplasms on the ligaments require a thorough medical examination to make sure that they are not malignant. Polyps are most often located in the middle of the ligaments, they can be single or paired.

Symptoms

• Light hoarseness of voice
• Sore throat when swallowing
• Pain in the larynx
• Sensation of a foreign object in the throat

Treatment

Polyps, nodes and outgrowths are surgically removed. Nodes on the vocal cords in children can sometimes be treated exclusively by voice therapy, in which children learn to use their voice without too much stress

Cancer of the larynx

Two major types of laryngeal cancer include squamous cell carcinoma and its variant, warty cancer. Most cases of cancer are directly related to smoking.

Symptoms

• A small hoarseness of the voice is initially accompanied by a dry cough, and sometimes there is a coughing up with blood.
• On more complex stages of the disease a person experiences difficulties with breathing and swallowing.
• Larynx is aching
• Throat feel can be painful

Treatment

In cancer of the larynx, radiation therapy and surgical intervention, including partial or complete removal of the larynx, are recommended. In order to speak and eat after removal of the larynx, a person can either learn to swallow and exhale air through the esophagus, or use an electro-larynx - a device that attaches to the throat.

[29], [30], [31]

Foreign bodies

Sometimes foreign bodies can enter the person's airways, which also causes pain in the larynx.

Symptoms

• Difficulty breathing
• Pain in the larynx when swallowing
• Swollen throat

Treatment

Foreign bodies that can get stuck in the airways are removed during bronchoscopy in the hospital, under general anesthesia

[32], [33], [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41],

Pain in the larynx with muscle strain of the larynx

"Laryngeal disorders due to muscle tension" is a general term for describing a variety of causes that can lead to loss of voice and breathing problems. When the voice suffers in the first place, this disorder is called dysphonia - muscle tension. How can the tension of the larynx muscles affect the voice and pain in the larynx? Muscle tension of the larynx can lead to severe airway obstruction.

Dysphonia - the tension of the muscles of the larynx

"Dysphonia" is the term used to describe the abnormal sound of a voice. The ability to sing and speak requires an extremely high coordination of many muscles, but sometimes the muscles of the larynx can lose some of this coordination. This can lead to hoarseness, pain in the neck, neck fatigue and even a complete loss of voice, not to mention the pain in the larynx.

In most cases, the problem with muscle tension - dysphonia - is observed in the larynx. One of the most common types of muscle tension in the larynx is the compression of the vocal cords during speech. To understand how this happens, imagine that your index and middle fingers are the vocal cords. The vocal cords should close just like your fingers, combined together in the form of scissors.

This contraction of the vocal cords requires additional muscle effort and, therefore, fatigue and pain can occur during conversation or singing.

[42], [43], [44], [45], [46]

False vocal cords and pain in the larynx

The second type of muscle strain of the larynx can cause pain in the larynx, when the false vocal cords are closed during speech. As a rule, false vocal cords should be separated in the same way as true vocal cords. In some people, false ligaments do not contact each other correctly during speech. This is called the "phonation of false vocal cords."

The phonation of false vocal cords can arise by itself, but it can also arise as compensation for the weak closure of the true vocal cords. If the true ligaments do not close with sufficient force during the attempt to speak, air will leak through this gap. As a result, some people involuntarily close their false vocal cords together to try to make a sound. And then there is pain in the larynx, and there is almost no voice.

[47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52]

The loss of voice and pain in the larynx

In severe cases, the muscular tension of the larynx can lead to a complete loss of voice. Sometimes the vocal cords are joined together with such force that the air can not pass between them. This disorder resembles the spasms of the larynx. Sometimes, on the contrary, the vocal cords tightly contact, but a small gap between them remains when the patient tries to speak. This may not sound like a full-fledged voice, but as a strong whisper.

Stress and loss of voice

Stress plays a key role in straining the muscles of the larynx and pain in the larynx, and therefore it can be accepted as an axiom that these disorders occur "in your head." Nevertheless, the main problem of the larynx is an abnormal contraction of the ligaments.

Treatment

Reducing discomfort in the larynx and improving the quality of voice transmission can return with proper treatment.

In cases of muscular tension - dysphonia - special voice therapy is used, during which the doctor gives exercises for training the voice. You will also be taught how to use the ligaments correctly, without overstressing them, and will recommend a special diet.

Treatment should be aimed at restoring the normal movement of the vocal cords. If a person has experienced psychological stress, treatment should eliminate it.

A good method of treating dysphonia can also be breathing exercises and in severe cases - painkillers.

Diagnostics of the pain in the larynx

Diagnosis of pain in the larynx can be difficult, since the state of the vocal cords is difficult to assess at rest. This can be done at a time when the muscles of the larynx are contracting. Methods for diagnosing laryngeal diseases may include:

1. Medical checkup
2. X-ray of the throat and fluoroscopy
3. Laryngoscopy
4. Biopsy
5. Exterior examination of the throat and palpation of the cervical region
6. Pharyngoscopy

Since the diagnosis of laryngeal diseases can cause difficulties, we will acquaint you with the most common diseases that cause pain in the larynx, and their symptoms, as well as treatment.

[53], [54], [55], [56], [57], [58]

Treatment of the pain in the larynx

Unfortunately, many doctors do not recognize voice problems as serious health problems and therefore it is sometimes difficult to obtain adequate medical care. But this does not mean that you do not need to contact the doctors with pain in the larynx and discomfort - timely medical help will help prevent serious larynx diseases.