Pain in the throat muscles

Pain in the muscles of the throat is a complex, variable symptom that is not specific, that is, indicating a specific disease. Complaints of sore throat and larynx muscles are considered to be one of the most common in medical practice, however, in order to determine their cause, it is required to clarify the nature of the symptom and conduct certain diagnostic actions.

The part of the body that we used to call the throat is in fact a rather complex anatomical and multifunctional structure consisting of larynx - larynx and pharynx - pharynx. Actually, the upper respiratory system is the throat, the larynx, and also the oral, nasal cavity and trachea. In the throat, the respiratory and digestive pathways join and cross, and the larynx directly forms the human voice with the help of vocal cords, and plays a secondary role in breathing. The throat is a whole complex of muscles: 

• muscles, relaxing vocal cords (narrowing of the glottis)
• muscle located in the anterior part of the thyroid cartilage (shield-cuspidal)
• transverse arytenoid muscle, stretching and pulling together the arytenoid cartilages
• posterior cricoid muscle, rotating the cartilage and changing the position of the vocal cords
• articular muscle

In addition, the functions of the larynx depend on the surrounding muscles of the neck, any of their stress provokes a reflex hypertonia in the throat. Thus, whatever types of muscle tissue are not damaged - whether constrictors, dilators, neck muscle or those that change the tension of the ligaments, there is a pain in the muscles of the throat.

Causes of pain in the throat muscles

The main causes of pain in the muscles of the throat are either traumatic injury or motor muscle disorders. Other conditions, diseases that provoke a pain symptom, can also be considered causative factors, but the pain in the throat is more likely to be reflected, secondary. In addition, there is myopathy of infectious etiology (helminthiases, tuberculosis), which are accompanied by a painful sign in the larynx, but such cases in clinical practice are extremely rare.

The most common causes of pain in the throat muscles:

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Movement disorders

• Such conditions in the throat are caused either by a strong overstrain, or, on the contrary, by a weakening of the muscle tone. Most often motor dysfunctions are diagnosed in children suffering from rickets, spasmophilia, pertussis and other serious diseases. Motor causes of pain in the muscles of the throat are divided into myopathic (muscle weakness) and caused by impaired innervation - neurogenic. Also, the disorders can be partial - paresis or full-fledged paralysis.
• Cortical (central) paralysis can be triggered by a head trauma, a brain hemorrhage, even minor, sclerosis. Cortical disorder is diagnosed mainly in adults, often combined with soft palate damage, mainly being bilateral.
• Peripheral paralysis and paresis of the larynx muscles are caused by neurogenic factors - damage to nerve endings, pathways in the chest, neck due to tumor processes, abscesses or trauma. Peripheral motor throat disorders, as a rule, are one-sided.
• Laryngospasm is a significant muscle contraction of the glottis. The reason can be functional, but also spasm can provoke hypoalcemia against the background of vitamin D deficiency (in children under 3 years old).
• Functional central paralysis is caused by a disturbance of the psyche, when the relationship between the function of inhibition and excitation in the brain is disturbed. Most often, hysterical paralysis is diagnosed, which causes a strong muscle spasm and, accordingly, a pain symptom, a feeling of lack of air. Hysterical spasm of the muscles of the larynx is often mistakenly diagnosed as bronchospasm, bronchial asthma or laryngospasm, and the standard treatment with hormonal drugs or bronchodilators does not work.
• Functional dysphonia (inorganic nature), for which, in addition to pain in the muscles of the throat, a complete loss of voice or hoarseness, a change in tone, a weakening of sonority. Dysphonia can be spastic, hypo and hypertonic and can occur both in chronic and acute forms. The most painful are considered hypertonic dysphonia, when a person talks for a long time in a noisy environment, straining ligaments. Chronic tension of muscles of the larynx, neck and face is accompanied by hypertension of the abdominal press, activation of the vascular system.
• Spastic dysphonia disorder - overstrain of larynx muscles, pharynx and disruption of coordination of internal and external throat and respiratory muscles. The reason for such dysfunction - stress, mental trauma, less often - viral diseases (influenza).
• Hysterical aphonia (complete absence of voice). The reason is a labile nervous, mental system of the patient, the impact of a stressful situation. In addition to loss of voice and moderate soreness in the muscles of the throat, a person falls into a depressed state, apathy.
• Afonia is a functional character that develops as a consequence of chronic laryngitis. The sore throat needs rest, if the person continues to strain the ligaments and muscles of the larynx, there is a violation of the mechanism of formation of sounds (voices).

Inflammatory throat pathology

• Acute or chronic laryngitis.
• Stenosing laryngotraheobronchitis.
• Chondroperichondritis is an inflammatory process in the cartilaginous tissue of the larynx, in which muscle tissue is also involved. Particularly painful is the purulent and fibrous form.
• Endogenous or exogenous acute stenosis of the larynx.

Drug intoxication

Drug intoxication, accompanied by damage to motor neurons of internal laryngeal muscles. The reason - drug intoxication with synthetic drugs, most often antimalarial drugs

In order to find out the true causes of pain in the muscles of the throat, an accurate description of the symptoms is required, which helps to specify the direction of the diagnostic actions.

[6], [7], [8], [9]

Symptoms of pain in the throat muscles

Muscular dysfunction of the larynx, first of all, manifests itself in changing the parameters of the voice. The first symptoms of pain in the muscles of the throat are an obvious, more accurately audible change in the timbre, loudness and voicelessness of the vocal apparatus. In addition, any disease of the throat is accompanied by a violation of the respiratory function, due to the weakness of the affected muscles.

Some typical symptoms of pain in the muscles of the throat, depending on the root cause:

• Paralysis of the larynx - painful sensations in the muscles of the throat, neck, weak, hoarse or hoarse voice, shortness of breath.
• Chondroperichondritis is a painful area in the larynx, neck, pain in the throat muscles, enlarged lymph nodes, swelling of the skin at the site of cartilage damage, and shortness of breath. The acute form of the disease can cause suffocation.
• Stenosis of the larynx - compensatory mobilization of the respiratory, hemodynamic, tissue system, more often in the form of dyspnea, tachycardia, hypoxia of the tissues and, accordingly, pain in the muscles of the throat.
• Laryngitis, which is most often the result of influenza, SARS, measles, whooping cough. Symptoms - painful sensations in the muscular tissue of the larynx, perspiration, dryness, unproductive cough, low-grade fever, swelling of the mucous membrane of the throat.
• All dysphonia is characterized by either weakening of the voice or aphonia, that is, its complete absence. In addition to problems with the voice apparatus of other clinical symptoms, as a rule, does not exist if the dysphonia is diagnosed as functional.

As a rule, for muscular pain is not characterized by high intensity, rather they are aching, pulling. Specificity of throat pain is a "scratching", dry sensation, loss of voice capabilities, which are often signs of serious ENT diseases, so anxious symptoms require timely diagnosis.

Diagnosis of pain in the throat muscles

Diagnostic actions of a physician can be difficult, as most patients seek help when the disease of the throat muscles is already either in a neglected state and is accompanied by a side symptomatology, or goes into a latent chronic form. In addition, the voice device - muscles and ligaments is very difficult to assess in principle, even at rest. The most accurate diagnosis of pain in the muscles of the throat when the larynx is functioning, that is, muscle tissue is reduced, which is extremely difficult to do because of soreness.

Diagnostic steps can be as follows:

• Talk with the patient and anamnesis.
• Exterior examination of the body.
• Visual inspection of external signs of the disease - tension of the neck muscles, possible swelling, lymph nodes (palpation).
• X-ray of the throat.
• Laryngoscopy.
• Pharyngoscopy.
• If necessary, a biopsy is administered.

A more detailed description of the methods that involves the diagnosis of pain in the muscles of the throat:

• Inspection.
• An external examination of the condition of the neck and larynx is carried out.
• Palpation of the larynx, mainly cartilage - thyroid, finger-like to determine the elasticity, the presence or absence of a characteristic crunch. The normal larynx does not ache during palpation, lends itself to passive movement, its muscles are not strained.
• Palpation of lymph nodes (deep and posterior cervical, submandibular, pre-tracheal, pre-laryngeal, paratracheal, and also located close to the subclavian fossa) is performed. Norm - lymph nodes should not be probed, this indicates that they are not enlarged and the inflammatory process is absent.
• Laryngoscopy.
• Examination with the help of a guttural mirror. The larynx is examined in two stages - by inhalation and by voice reproduction (sounds "and" and "e").
• Indirect hypopharyngoscopy - examination of the posterior wall of the larynx using a mirror.
• Sowing on streptococcus, diphtheria and other pathogenic microorganisms.
• General analysis of blood, possible appointment of biochemical analysis.
• If mononucleosis is suspected, which is often manifested by pain in the muscles of the larynx, a mono-drop test is prescribed.

In addition, the diagnosis of diseases of the throat muscles may require consultation of related specialists - endocrinologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, psychiatrist. Pain in the muscles of the larynx can be felt as a spasm or coma and have a purely psychogenic cause, for this it is necessary to exclude or confirm hysteria and other borderline states from the sphere of neurology and psychiatry.

[10], [11]

Treatment of pain in the throat muscles

How the treatment of pain in the muscles of the throat will be constructed is decided by the doctor. Undoubtedly, if the discomfort is caused by a single case of voice overstrain, you can be treated at home, you just need to rest for a while, keep quiet, do not overstrain the larynx, do not irritate her with sharp, sour food.

If the symptoms speak of a more serious condition, the pain in the muscles of the throat does not abate for several days, without medical advice can not do. As a rule, therapeutic purposes relate to topical preparations - sprays, aerosols, as well as physiotherapy procedures. In general, the standard treatment of throat pain can be medicamentous, detoxifying or surgical. In contrast to pain symptoms in other organs, ENT therapy is almost always aimed at neutralizing the identified cause of pain, and only then it can be symptomatic (relief of pain, coughing and so on).

The most common treatments for muscle sore throat:

• Neutralization of the provoking factor in functional motor disorders, dysphonia. It is necessary to exclude the possibility of overstrain of ligaments and muscles, adhere to a sparing regimen, observe silence.
• Muscular hypertonus is removed by warm compresses on the neck, physiotherapeutic procedures (UHF, electrophoresis).
• If laryngitis, pharyngitis is detected, appropriate therapy is performed.
• A good result is given by special exercises for the restoration and strengthening of ligament functions.
• More serious inflammatory diseases are treated with antibiotics corresponding to the type of pathogen found.
• Chronic disorders of the throat muscles, caused by scars, tumor processes, are treated promptly.
• Threatening symptoms - bilateral laryngeal paralysis, stenosis of the 3-1 degree is treated urgently with tracheotomy.

It should be noted that the throat muscles most often suffer from conditions that do not require antibacterial therapy or surgery, in 85-90% of cases the treatment consists of heating the overstrained muscles, irrigation of the ligaments and rest. The voice with this complex is restored after 2-4 days.

Prevention of pain in the throat muscles

If to take as a basis the statistical data, in the majority of the disease of the muscles of the throat is a voice overstrain. Accordingly, the prevention of pain in the muscles of the throat should concern the rules for using such a valuable resource. Tips for preventing pain in the muscles of the larynx, caused by other serious diseases, fit into the standard scheme:

• Regular check-up examinations, including consultation and examination of an ENT doctor.
• Compliance with the rules of a healthy lifestyle - physical activity, strengthening of the general muscle tone, rational nutrition, rejection of bad habits, especially from smoking.
• Avoiding hypothermia, viral diseases.

Every day a person utters from 3000 to 7000 words, it is obvious that people who are professionally connected with performances, utterances of speeches use the voice apparatus most of all. They most often suffer from functional dysphonia and the suggested recommendations will be most useful to them:

Prevention of pain in the throat muscles with occupational diseases of the vocal apparatus:

• The best way to keep the throat muscles in tone is a daily voice charge, similar to the singing of vocalists. There are many techniques of articulatory, respiratory gymnastics that help strengthen muscle tissue and laryngeal ligaments.
• You can not overstress the voice for a long time. There are certain norms: lecturers and teachers say no more than 4 hours in a row, vocalists and actors - up to 3 hours.
• Before you have a long speech, you need to "warm up" the ligaments and muscles, drink a warm drink.
• The voice apparatus, the throat muscles are very closely related to the general state of the organism, especially with the state of the nervous system. Therefore, in order that the pain in the muscles of the throat was familiar only by hearsay, it is necessary to strengthen the entire body as a whole, to alternate periods of work and rest, to protect the nervous system.
• The throat is closely associated with the nasopharynx and the respiratory system, so their condition can affect the muscles of the larynx. Breathing exercises, sanation of the nasopharynx will help to avoid painful muscular sensations.
• Throat functions can be disturbed from the environment, especially dry, smoky air. The air should be humidified, this applies to rooms with air conditioning and winter period, when the heating season begins.

Pain in the muscles of the throat is not usually a serious pathology, but it is better to prevent it beforehand and to consult a specialist at the first alarming symptoms without self-medication, following the old saying: "A wise person will rather avoid an illness than after seeking a healer and choosing a medicine."