Esophageal spasms

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Definition

You're really thirsty and you take a huge gulp of a cold, carbonated beverage. Suddenly, you experience a severe pain in your midchest that lets up after a couple of seconds. This is one form of an esophageal spasm. In some people, esophageal spasms occur with much greater frequency and can lead to chronic swallowing problems and pain.

Your esophagus is a long tube-like structure that connects your throat to your stomach. A healthy esophagus moves food into your stomach through a series of coordinated muscular contractions, called peristalsis. Esophageal spasms disrupt this process.

Esophageal spasms are an uncoordinated series of muscle contractions that prevent food from traveling properly from your esophagus to your stomach. These spasms can be very painful. Chest pain is a common symptom of esophageal spasms.

The cause of esophageal spasms is unknown. Esophageal spasms are more common in people with acid reflux disease, and your likelihood of developing the condition increases with age.

Treatment of esophageal spasms in the short term may involve using medications to quickly relax the esophageal muscles. Long-term treatment may involve managing any contributing health condition, taking additional medications, altering your eating habits, and other approaches.

Symptoms