Difficulty swallowing, also called dysphagia, can be caused by many different diseases and conditions, in both children and adults.
Common symptoms of difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) which indicate a need for swallow study (evaluation) and dysphagia treatment if indicated, by a speech language pathologist may include the following:
1.) Trouble swallowing food
2.) Difficulty swallowing pills
3.) Coughing or choking while eating or drinking
4.) Food, pills, or liquids getting stuck in your throat or "coming back up"
5.) Wet/gurgly vocal quality when eating or drinking
6.) Clearing your throat frequently when eating or drinking
7.) Eyes watering when eating or drinking
8.) Change in skin tone when eating or drinking
9.) Becoming short of breath when eating or drinking
10.) Coughing or choking within one hour after meals
If you have any of the difficulty swallowing symptoms listed above, you should ask your physician for a referral to a speech language pathologist for a swallow test, also called a swallow study, barium swallow test, Modified Barium Swallow Study, or a Video Fluoroscopy Swallow Study. If your difficulty swallowing symptoms are obvious and mild, you may not need to have a barium swallow test. Your speech language pathologist may be able to assess your difficulty swallowing by observing you eat and drink and provide treatment for your swallowing disorder to resolve the problem with simple swallowing exercises.
In more severe cases, it may be necessary for a patient to have a diet modification, such as thickened liquids, mechanical soft diet, pureed foods, and in some cases it may be recommended that a patient have a PEG tube inserted into the stomach. With treatment for swallowing disorders with dysphagia exercises, these modifications can be temporary in many cases.
Download a free 20 page eBook to learn more about exercises to strengthen the swallow and stretch the esophagus without surgery.
About the Author: Jolie Parker, M.S.CCC-SLP is a speech language pathologist who specializes in the treatment of dysphagia. She is a co-inventor of the PhagiaFlex device for dysphagia, which has been clinically shown to strengthen the swallow, improve esophageal opening and laryngeal elevation, and widen the UES during the swallow.