# Why do big swallows hurt going down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320 "2012-01-12T18:29:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vifslan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f4b2a3/32.png) [@vifslan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vifslan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/1 "2012-01-12T18:29:17Z")
I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Big Gulp syndrome – swallow too big a mouthful of anything, and you can feel the lump making its way down to the stomach. All. The. Slow. Painful. Way. I’d like to know why it works that way, that’s all. If it only happened around solid food I’d understand it, but liquids work exactly the same. Wouldn’t they just, well, gently trickle down, and not catch behind the sternum? All answers taken, even “Google/Wiki is your friend” and “Cecil hath spoken” kinds of answers. Frankly I don’t know what kind of search terms I would use and I don’t have an hour to waste on Wikipedia while looking up related entries. My chief weakness is dictionaries. And chocolate. Oh well, my chief weaknesses are dictionaries and chocolate. And too-large sips of scalding hot tea – _firmly shuts door in face of Spanish Inquisition_ ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/2 "2012-01-13T09:43:14Z")
Like you said, Google is your friend! (Hey, you asked for it! 😛 ) Try some combination of these search terms: esophagus anatomy physiology and you should come up with plenty of reading material. Glop you swallow gets moved along by rhythmic contractions of the esophageal walls called peristalsis – Google that too. Some people have problems with this – due to tissue damage or nerve damage, it doesn’t work right. – Google for motility or dysmotility. There are two sphincters in the esophagus, at the top and at the bottom (where it connects into the stomach). There might be problems with that. There can be other defects or diseases of the esophagus that might be happening. There. Now you have some starting points to research. ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/3 "2012-01-13T11:03:49Z")
I hate to give a snarky answer so soon in the thread, but you know, I interpreted the title SO WRONG. I guess my mind is full of bad, evil, dirty thoughts. 🙂 I too look forward to the real answer ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/4 "2012-01-13T11:58:03Z")
I know what you mean but I’ve never experienced the sensation travelling all the way down… just at the initial point. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/5 "2012-01-13T12:25:01Z")
I’ve certainly experienced it for the 8-9 secs it takes for food to reach the stomach. One hypothesis: perhaps it’s air? I know there’s certainly a muscle _behind_ the food / liquid, and if it’s strong enough, there’d be nowhere for that air to go until it reaches the stomach and you can burp later (if necessary). This idea occurs to me because it happens to me much more with fizzy drinks than still ones, so I think air / gas might be key. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/6 "2012-01-13T12:30:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Why do big swallows hurt going down? Their feathers & tiny little beaks get stuck in your throat. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/7 "2012-01-13T13:00:27Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > I hate to give a snarky answer so soon in the thread, but you know, I interpreted the title SO WRONG. My first though upon seeing the title was “African or European?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/8 "2012-01-13T14:47:30Z")
The African ones tend to want to migrate up your esophagus. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/9 "2012-01-13T16:23:36Z")
The laden ones are horrible, coconuts REALLY hurt going down. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/10 "2012-01-13T16:25:21Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > My first though upon seeing the title was “African or European?” +1 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/11 "2012-01-13T16:25:39Z")
Big swallows are good at going down, but their beaks are really sharp. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/12 "2012-01-13T16:27:40Z")
Ninjaed again, dang it! Too many threads. Not enough time. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/13 "2012-01-13T16:51:31Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Big swallows are good at going down, but their beaks are really sharp. I wonder if we might actually have discovered an exception to Rule 34 here? ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/14 "2012-01-13T23:17:48Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I wonder if we might actually have discovered an exception to Rule 34 here? As the OP said, Google is your friend. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/15 "2012-01-14T00:04:51Z")
Wait, are we talking about swallowing that occasionally goes badly wrong? I have always wanted to ask that question. I have swallowed food and liquids many thousands of times since I was a baby but, occasionally, one will go badly wrong and my throat feels like a boa constrictor trying to swallow a whole poodle (standard not toy) for a few seconds. It really hurts and peaks at a 9 on the pain scale. Is that what we are talking about and does it happen to most people occasionally? I have never heard anyone else mention it. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/16 "2012-01-14T00:28:32Z")
Yes, that happens to me too (though it’s no where near a 9!). I always thought it was a big bubble of air. ---
**Author:** ![vifslan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f4b2a3/32.png) [@vifslan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vifslan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/17 "2012-01-14T04:50:08Z")
Yep, that’s exactly what we’re talking about. (Incidentally, why would you think it only happens to you? Though I suppose that one could have a hypersensitive esophagus and in that way be an anatomical exception to the rules --) My problem with the concept seems to be that I’ve assumed the esophagus muscles to be more elastic and the nerves there to be less sensitive than they actually are, and that I need to do more research on how peristalsis and liquids actually combine. My previous (unexamined) position was something in the way that you’ll need some solid matter för peristalsis to “work”, but that liquids would trickle along assisted by gravity. Anyway, ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/18 "2012-01-14T07:08:13Z")
> [@bleach](#): > > As the OP said, Google is your friend. :eek: Are you telling me to google for avian on human fellatio? Thanks but I’d rather not (even though I do not expect to find it). Prediction: This thread will shortly become Google’s top hit for “avian on human fellatio”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/19 "2012-01-14T07:17:12Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Wait, are we talking about swallowing that occasionally goes badly wrong? I have always wanted to ask that question. I have swallowed food and liquids many thousands of times since I was a baby but, occasionally, one will go badly wrong and my throat feels like a boa constrictor trying to swallow a whole poodle (standard not toy) for a few seconds. It really hurts and peaks at a 9 on the pain scale. > > Is that what we are talking about and does it happen to most people occasionally? I have never heard anyone else mention it. I am not sure if it is what you (or the OP) mean, but I occasionally used to get stuff stuck down there, like if I had not chewed my food well enough before swallowing or if I tried to swallow a large tablet or gelcap. It could be very painful for a bit, followed by discomfort (and inability to swallow anything else without causing more pain) for quite a long time after, until the blockage cleared. I eventually had to get [Schatzki ring dilation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schatzki%27s_ring). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320/20 "2012-01-14T14:28:30Z")
lubrication is also a factor, as always. if the bolus (in this case a big bird) then it might be a slow uncomfortable sensation going down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-big-swallows-hurt-going-down/609320.md?page=2)