Trouble Swallowing or Food Stuck in Your Throat: Causes and When It's an Emergency

Trouble swallowing (dysphagia) means food or liquid feels slow to go down, gets stuck, or causes coughing, choking or pain. Short-term trouble often comes from a sore throat, tonsillitis or reflux. Food that feels stuck in the chest and won't go down, especially if you can't swallow your own saliva, needs the ER. If someone can't breathe, speak or cough, they're choking: call 911 and start abdominal thrusts.

Common causes

• Sore throat, strep or tonsillitis, which make swallowing painful. See our tonsillitis post.
• Acid reflux, which can inflame or narrow the esophagus. See our acid reflux post.
• Food getting stuck, often meat or bread, sometimes because of a narrowing or inflammation in the esophagus
• Eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammation of the esophagus, common in younger adults with food getting stuck
• Pills that lodge and irritate the esophagus
• Nerve or muscle conditions, such as after a stroke or with Parkinson's disease
• Swallowed objects, especially in children

If food feels stuck

• If you can breathe and talk, stay calm and sit upright
• Try sipping a little water
• Don't try to force it down with bread or make yourself vomit
• If it hasn't passed within an hour, or you can't swallow saliva, go to the ER

Choking

If someone can't breathe, talk or cough, or is clutching their throat, call 911 and give abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver). For babies, use back blows and chest thrusts.

Swallowed objects in children

Coins, small toys and food can get stuck. Button batteries and magnets are emergencies even if the child seems fine. Our swallowed object page has more.

What urgent care can do

For painful swallowing from a sore throat, a clinician can examine you and test for strep. For ongoing trouble swallowing without an emergency, a clinician can assess you and refer you to a gastroenterologist for further tests. Food stuck that won't pass needs the ER, which can remove it with a scope.

At an AfterOurs clinic, a standard self-pay visit is $175, and a self-pay in-clinic visit never costs more than $330. We contract with all major commercial and government plans, including Colorado Medicaid and Medicare. See the cost and insurance page.

Call 911 if someone is choking and can't breathe, talk or cough. Go to the ER if food is stuck and won't pass, you can't swallow your own saliva or are drooling, you have chest pain, trouble breathing, a swollen throat or tongue, or a child may have swallowed a button battery or magnets.

Where to find us

Four clinics across metro Denver, all ages welcome, se habla español:

• Hampden (Southeast Denver): 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Littleton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Thornton: 8 AM–11 PM daily
• Highlands: Mon–Fri 5–11 PM, Sat–Sun 8 AM–11 PM

Walk in, or book online.