Synonyms
Laryngitis, croup, pseudocroup Medical: Larynx
Pain in the outer larynx
Laryngeal pain often develops in adulthood due to acute laryngitis. This is usually a viral, more rarely a bacterial infection of the inner mucous membrane of the larynx, which then leads to pain, coughing and hoarseness, with swallowing in particular causing pain. If the laryngeal pain occurs on the outside, it is either a small cyst that has formed in the area of the larynx or it may be that the pain does not originate from the larynx itself, but is only projected into its area.
Directly below the larynx is the thyroid gland (Glandula thyroidea) with the parathyroid glands (Glandula parathyroidea). If an inflammation of the thyroid gland occurs, this can lead to pain that feels as if it were located on the outside of the larynx. It is also possible, however, that due to increased growth of the thyroid gland, it constricts the larynx, resulting in laryngeal pain on the outside of the neck.
Especially if the laryngeal pain occurs externally in isolation, i.e. without coughing or hoarseness, one should become clairaudient, since it cannot be an acute laryngitis in any case and other diseases of the larynx, such as epiglottitis, laryngeal cancer or pseudocroup, are also excluded. Nevertheless, laryngeal pain should be clarified, since each clinical picture feels individually different, and children in particular are more likely to describe their pain as laryngeal pain on the outside, although they actually have an inflammation of the inner mucous membrane layer, as is the case with pseudocroup, for example. However, it is important to mention that laryngeal pain on the outside is rarely a malignant finding, such as a tumor, and that without accompanying symptoms such as coughing or hoarseness, it is usually the thyroid gland rather than the larynx that is the real problem.
A blow on the neck is painful and can lead to severe larynx pain, among other things. Depending on the strength of the blow and the pain, there are different approaches. For example, if you have received a ball against the throat while playing soccer, this often leads to laryngeal pain, but this should disappear after a few hours.
At first you can only wait and if necessary put cold compresses around the neck to counteract swelling. If, however, a strong blow occurs, for example if you get your neck on the steering wheel in a car accident with full force, strong larynx pains paired with difficulty swallowing and often shortness of breath occur. As a result of such an event it is important to carefully palpate the larynx.
If irregularities such as steps or unfamiliar edges are felt, a doctor should be consulted immediately, as a partial rupture of the larynx may have occurred. Further symptoms can be coughing, speech disorders, hoarseness and above all severe pain. If coughing up blood or worsening shortness of breath occurs, an emergency doctor must be alerted immediately.
In spite of the possibly bad course of the disease, laryngeal pain often occurs only for a short time after a blow to the larynx. The larynx itself is very stable and it takes massive force to really cause damage. Therefore, in most cases where there is no shortness of breath or long-lasting laryngeal pain, it is advisable to wait, as the symptoms should disappear on their own within a few hours.
Acute laryngitis (sudden inflammation of the larynx) or the “pseudocroup“, as it is popularly known, is an acute virus-induced infection of the laryngeal mucosa below the laryngeal flap. The main symptoms of pseudocroup are barking cough, hoarseness and shortness of breath. Children between the ages of 3 and 6 are most frequently affected by pseudocroup.
In the course of a viral infection, a bacterial superinfection of the epiglottis occurs. A superinfection is an infection, in this case with bacteria, which is based on an existing infection, often viral, i.e. it takes advantage of the generally pre-damaged position of the mucous membrane. Shortness of breath, hoarseness, severe difficulty swallowing and fever make epiglottitis a life-threatening disease. Epiglottis edema or glottis edema makes breathing in particularly difficult.
