Cricopharyngeal spasms occur in the cricopharyngeus muscle of the pharynx

Pharynx

The human pharynx is the part of the throat situated immediately posterior to the mouth and nasal cavity, and anterior to the esophagus and larynx. The human pharynx is conventionally divided into three sections: the nasopharynx , the oropharynx , and the laryngopharynx...

. These spasms are frequently misunderstood by the patient to be cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 due to the 'lump in the throat' feeling (Globus pharyngis

Globus Pharyngis

Globus pharyngis is the persistent sensation of having phlegm, a pill or some other sort of obstruction in the throat when there is none...

) that is symptomatic of this syndrome. In practice, real lumps in the throat, such as a cancer, are generally not felt until they impede ingestion of food. This is one of the reasons that a cancer can get so big before it is discovered. However, a cricopharyngeal spasm is a harmless, if uncomfortable, self-limiting

Self-limiting

Self-limiting may refer to:*Self-limiting , an organism or colony of organisms which limits its own growth*Governor , used to control the speed of mechanical equipment to prevent it from operating at unsafe speeds...

 disorder and will resolve itself over a period of time.

Physiology

There are two valves in the oesophagus. They are normally contracted and they relax when you swallow so that food can pass through them going to the stomach

Stomach

The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...

. They then squeeze closed again to prevent regurgitation of the stomach contents. If this normal contraction becomes a spasm

Spasm

In medicine a spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes...

, these symptoms start.

Symptoms

• Sensation of a 'lump' in the back of the throat
• Throat feels swollen
• Discomfort - Lump can often feel quite big and pain is occasional
• Symptoms normally worse in the evening
• Stress
  Stress (biology)
  Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
  
   aggravates the symptoms
• Saliva is difficult to swallow, yet food is easy to swallow - eating, in fact, often makes the tightness go away for a time
• 'Lump' sensation comes and goes from day to day
• Symptoms can persist for very long periods, often several months.
• The symptoms can be mimicked by pushing on the cartilage in the neck, just below the Adam's apple

Cures

No real 'cure' exists, the sufferer must simply wait for it to fix itself. A number of treatments will make it much less noticeable;

• Muscle Relaxants
  • Lorazepam
    Lorazepam
    Lorazepam is a high-potency short-to-intermediate-acting 3-hydroxy benzodiazepine drug that has all five intrinsic benzodiazepine effects: anxiolytic, amnesic, sedative/hypnotic, anticonvulsant, antiemetic and muscle relaxant...
    
     (Ativan), diazepam
    Diazepam
    Diazepam , first marketed as Valium by Hoffmann-La Roche is a benzodiazepine drug. Diazepam is also marketed in Australia as Antenex. It is commonly used for treating anxiety, insomnia, seizures including status epilepticus, muscle spasms , restless legs syndrome, alcohol withdrawal,...
    
     (Valium) and other benzodiazepine
    Benzodiazepine
    A benzodiazepine is a psychoactive drug whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring...
    
    s relax the smooth muscle in the throat, slowing or halting contractions. In some people, benzodiazepines may have addictive properties.
• Reduce Stress
  • High stress
    Stress (biology)
    Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
    
     levels make these spasm
    Spasm
    In medicine a spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. It is sometimes accompanied by a sudden burst of pain, but is usually harmless and ceases after a few minutes...
    
    s more noticeable
  • It is advisable to take note of when your symptoms are at their worst
• Warm Fluids
  • Consider a cup of warm tea when the lump is bothersome.