Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesManaging at HomeSteps to Getting to TreatmentMedications and TreatmentsWho Is a Good Candidate for Surgery?Complications

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Managing at Home

Steps to Getting to Treatment

Medications and Treatments

Who Is a Good Candidate for Surgery?

Complications

While chest pain is often linked to heart problems, it can also occur from factors related to other body systems. The type and location of your chest pain can help you know its source. Non-cardiac chest pain from swallowing typically occurs in the middle of your chest behind your breastbone.

This type of chest pain is linked to several ailments that do not involve heart problems. Some common causes include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),esophagitis, hiatal hernia,esophagealstrictures, primary esophageal motility disorders (PEMDs), and esophageal perforations. Certain drugs can also cause this problem.

Knowing the types of symptoms these problems cause can help you find the source of your pain.

Brothers91 / Getty Images

A person feels pain in their chest while swallowing during drinking a glass of water

Chest Pain Symptoms When Swallowing

Chest pain when swallowing can last for hours. Like the pain of a heart attack, this type of pain can move down your arm and to your back.

When Is Chest and Throat Pain an Emergency?Chest pain with throat pain can have a variety of causes. While it doesn’t always indicate a serious problem, it can warn of a medical emergency like a heart attack. Don’t disregard any type of chest pain. Get immediate medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:Sudden squeezing, crushing, tightening, or pressure in your chestPain that spreads to your jaw, left arm, or between your shoulder bladesDizziness, nausea, sweating, racing heart, or shortness of breathChest discomfort becomes suddenly more intense with lighter activityChest pain while you are at rest (angina)Sudden, sharp chest pain with shortness of breath, especially after a long period of lack of movementAn inability to swallow foods, breathe normally, or swallow (with or without chest pain)

When Is Chest and Throat Pain an Emergency?

Chest pain with throat pain can have a variety of causes. While it doesn’t always indicate a serious problem, it can warn of a medical emergency like a heart attack. Don’t disregard any type of chest pain. Get immediate medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:Sudden squeezing, crushing, tightening, or pressure in your chestPain that spreads to your jaw, left arm, or between your shoulder bladesDizziness, nausea, sweating, racing heart, or shortness of breathChest discomfort becomes suddenly more intense with lighter activityChest pain while you are at rest (angina)Sudden, sharp chest pain with shortness of breath, especially after a long period of lack of movementAn inability to swallow foods, breathe normally, or swallow (with or without chest pain)

Chest pain with throat pain can have a variety of causes. While it doesn’t always indicate a serious problem, it can warn of a medical emergency like a heart attack. Don’t disregard any type of chest pain. Get immediate medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms:

Causes of Chest and Throat Pain When Swallowing

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)/Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER)

GERD, also called chronicacid reflux, occurs when stomach acid, food, and other contents regularly flow back into the esophagus (the tube that links the mouth and stomach), often reaching the throat and mouth.

You can experience aburning sensation in the center of your chestor neck, calledheartburnwhen the stomach acid touches youresophagus. When these symptoms occur occasionally, it is calledgastroesophageal reflux, or GER.

Common causes of GERD/GER include:

GERD can cause many unpleasant symptoms during and after eating, including:

Esophagitis

Esophagitisis any condition that causes inflammation, swelling, or irritation of your esophagus. Your esophagus carries food through your chest, from your mouth to your stomach. The acid from these substances can irritate your food pipe and increase your risk of ulcers.

Esophagitis can occur from the following conditions:

Symptoms of esophagitis can include:

Hiatal Hernia

Ahiatal herniaoccurs when the upper part of your stomach pushes through the hiatus (a small opening in yourdiaphragm). Your diaphragm is the sheet of muscle that separates your abdomen and your chest.

While the exact cause of a hiatal hernia is unknown, it may be linked to weakness of the supporting tissue. Your risk of this relatively common condition may increase with the following characteristics:

Hiatal hernia can occur without symptoms. Treatment isn’t necessary unless symptoms cause problems. When symptoms occur, they can include:

Esophageal Strictures

An esophageal stricture (abnormal narrowing) can lead to swallowing problems. The following conditions can cause it:

Symptoms of esophageal stricture can include:

Primary Esophageal Motility Disorders (PEMDs)

Primary esophageal motility disorders (PEMDs)are a group of conditions that affect the esophagus. They interfere with the normal process of moving food from your mouth to your stomach.

There are many types of PEMDs, which include:

Symptoms of PEMDs can include:

Esophageal Perforation

Anesophageal perforation, also known as an esophageal rupture, is a hole or tear in the esophagus that can become life-threatening. When this occurs, the contents of the esophagus can pass into the surrounding area of your chest (mediastinum).

Causes of an esophageal perforation include:

Symptoms of esophageal perforation include:

When Chest and Swallowing Pain Is Related to Food “Going Down the Wrong Pipe"It is relatively common to have food enter your mouth and go down “the wrong pipe” instead of entering your food tube. When food or other foreign material enters yourtrachea(windpipe), the condition is calledaspiration.When this occurs, your body triggers a fight-or-flight response that involves a boost ofadrenalineand an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. You may feel chest pressure as your gag or cough reflex works to resolve the problem and remove the foreign substance.

It is relatively common to have food enter your mouth and go down “the wrong pipe” instead of entering your food tube. When food or other foreign material enters yourtrachea(windpipe), the condition is calledaspiration.When this occurs, your body triggers a fight-or-flight response that involves a boost ofadrenalineand an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. You may feel chest pressure as your gag or cough reflex works to resolve the problem and remove the foreign substance.

It is relatively common to have food enter your mouth and go down “the wrong pipe” instead of entering your food tube. When food or other foreign material enters yourtrachea(windpipe), the condition is calledaspiration.

When this occurs, your body triggers a fight-or-flight response that involves a boost ofadrenalineand an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. You may feel chest pressure as your gag or cough reflex works to resolve the problem and remove the foreign substance.

From Medications

When the irritating effects of some medications cause chest and throat pain from swallowing, it is calledpill esophagitis. This type of pain is felt inside your chest and throat after swallowing certain medications.

Medications linked to pill esophagitis include:

How to Manage Swallowing Pain in Chest at Home

Managing swallowing pain in your chest at home involves targeting the cause of the pain.

Non-cardiac chest pain related to swallowing can often be linked to problems involving excess stomach acid or damage to your esophagus. However, you shouldn’t rely on home remedies for chronic chest pain when swallowing since your symptoms could be a sign of a more serious issue.

Proper treatment can help relieve chest pain when swallowing. However, the type of treatment you need depends on the cause of your symptoms. Your healthcare provider will use one of the following diagnostic tests to determine the cause of your pain:

Prescribed Medications

Depending on the cause of your chest pain with swallowing, your healthcare provider may prescribe one of the following medications to relieve symptoms so you can swallow without pain:

The decision to use surgery to treat chest pain with swallowing is typically considered in the following situations:

Other factors, including age, severity of condition, overall health, and other medical conditions, can impact the decision to pursue surgery.

Common surgical procedures used to treat chest pain when swallowing include:

Fundoplication

GERD surgery aims to strengthen thelower esophageal sphincter (LES), the ring of muscles at the bottom of your esophagus. The procedure removes a piece of the fundus (upper stomach) and wraps it around the LES to better support it. This prevents food and liquids from returning back into your esophagus.

Hernia Repair

This surgery returns the displaced tissue back into place in your body. The weak spot is closed and strengthened with sutures (herniorrhaphy procedure) or synthetic mesh (hernioplasty procedure).

EsophagealMyotomy

Repair of perforation: While not all esophageal perforations require repair, some may present a life-threatening condition. Treatment is based on the severity of your perforation. This can involve:

People with esophageal strictures are treated with a dilation procedure, which is not surgery. A mechanical dilator or balloon dilator is used to widen the esophagus.

Complications of Untreated and Chronic Chest Pain

Complications of untreated and chronic chest pain can involve damage to the lining of the esophagus. The following complications can lead to trouble swallowing foods and liquids, which can impact your quality of life:

Ignoring the pain can also lead to breathing problems. When stomach acid passes through your esophagus, it can irritate your airways, causing swelling in your upper respiratory system. This damage can triggerbronchospasm(a sudden tightening of the airways), leading to shortness of breath, labored breathing, and wheezing if the flow of stomach acid is not normalized with treatment.

How to Maintain Symptom Relief

Maintaining symptom relief from chest pain when swallowing can involve following a prescribed medication regimen with lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of symptoms. The following strategies can help you maintain symptom relief:

Summary

Chest pain when swallowing can occur from a range of non-cardiac problems affecting the esophagus and how food is digested. Since these symptoms can mimic those of a heart attack, it can be hard to know whether this type of chest pain is a cause for concern.

Chronic chest pain with swallowing should not be ignored. Contact a healthcare provider if you have chest pain that does not improve with home treatments or changes to your diet. Your provider can furnish a proper diagnosis and treatment to avoid long-term damage or the risk of untreated heart problems.

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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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Cedars Sinai.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD/heartburn).

Mount Sinai.Esophagitis.

Cedars-Sinai.Esophagitis.

Penn Medicine.Hiatal hernia.

UCLA Health.Esophageal stricture.

Aurora Health Care.Esophageal stricture treatment.

Loma Linda University Health.Esophageal dysmotilty.

MedlinePlus.Esophageal perforation.

UT Southwestern Medical Center.Esophageal perforation.

Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials.What’s going on when something goes down the wrong pipe?

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Columbia Surgery.Esophageal dilation.

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American Gastroenterological Association AGA GI Patient Center.Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

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