{"id":1640,"date":"2025-02-14T10:14:43","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/?p=1640"},"modified":"2025-02-14T10:15:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T18:15:26","slug":"understanding-chronic-throat-pain-and-how-to-manage-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/understanding-chronic-throat-pain-and-how-to-manage-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Chronic Throat Pain and How to Manage It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A chronic sore throat can be frustrating and disruptive, making simple tasks like talking or swallowing a challenge. Let\u2019s explore some causes of chronic <a href=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/ent\/throat\/sore-throat\/\">throat pain<\/a> and tips for relief.<\/p>\n<h2>What Causes Chronic Throat Pain?<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Woman holding her sore throat\" src=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat-768x513.jpg\" alt=\"Woman holding her sore throat\" width=\"415\" height=\"277\" class=\"wp-image-1643 alignright\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Woman-holding-her-sore-throat.jpg 1254w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 415px) 100vw, 415px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There are several potential culprits behind persistent throat discomfort, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Voice overuse or strain. <\/strong>If you\u2019re a teacher, singer or public speaker, you\u2019re more likely to overuse and strain your vocal cords, causing irritation, dryness and inflammation in the throat. This can make your throat feel constantly sore, scratchy or tired.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Breathing through your mouth. <\/strong>Breathing through your mouth can dry out your throat, leading to irritation and soreness. Mouth breathing is particularly common while you\u2019re sleeping or congested.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). <\/strong>When stomach acid flows from your stomach to your throat (LPR), it can cause irritation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dry air. <\/strong>If you live in a dry climate or spend a lot of time in heated indoor spaces during winter, the lack of moisture in the air can dehydrate your throat tissue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Frequent infections. <\/strong>Symptoms like coughing or postnasal drip, common in colds and <a href=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/ent\/nose\/sinusitis\/\">sinus infections<\/a>, can irritate the throat. If infections keep recurring, consult your ENT provider to find the cause.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Environmental irritants. <\/strong>Pollutants like smog or excessive exposure to strong chemicals like bleach or ammonia-based cleaning products can irritate your throat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Manage Chronic Throat Pain<\/h2>\n<p>If chronic throat pain has been slowing you down, there are several steps you can take to ease the discomfort at home:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Practice good vocal hygiene<\/strong>. Rest your voice when needed, and avoid shouting or whispering excessively.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drink plenty of fluids.<\/strong> Drink plenty of water to keep your throat moist and reduce irritation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try herbal tea and honey. <\/strong>Warm herbal teas with a spoonful of Raw Oregon Honey can help calm inflammation in your throat. Try adding a soothing cup to your nightly routine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try a humidifier<\/strong>. Adding moisture to the air can work wonders for dry or scratchy throats. Run a humidifier at home during dryer months.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avoid strong chemicals. <\/strong>Minimize your exposure to strong chemicals like bleach or ammonia, opting instead for green cleaning products.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try diet changes.<\/strong> Changes in your diet, like cutting out acidic foods or eating smaller meals, can help manage LPR. If LPR is long-lasting or severe, make an appointment with one of our ENT specialists for treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>When To See an ENT Specialist<\/h2>\n<p>While at-home remedies can be helpful, chronic throat pain lasting <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/22280-chronic-pharyngitis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than 10 days<\/a> warrants a visit to an ENT specialist. A thorough evaluation can identify the root cause of your pain and guide you toward effective treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Contact <span class=\"company-name \">Mt. Hood ENT &amp; Allergy<\/span> today to schedule an appointment with one of our throat experts.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"related-posts\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/why-does-my-nose-burn\/\" class=\"related-post\">Why Does My Nose Burn?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/how-do-snot-and-earwax-protect-your-health\/\" class=\"related-post\">How Do Snot and Earwax Protect Your Health?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/why-am-i-having-trouble-swallowing\/\" class=\"related-post\">Why Am I Having Trouble Swallowing?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A chronic sore throat can be frustrating and disruptive, making simple tasks like talking or swallowing a challenge. Let\u2019s explore some causes of chronic throat pain and tips for relief. What Causes Chronic Throat Pain? There are several potential culprits behind persistent throat discomfort, including: Voice overuse or strain. If you\u2019re a teacher, singer or&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","schema":"","fname":"","lname":"","position":"","credentials":"","placeID":"","no_match":false,"name":"","company":"","review":"","address":"","city":"","state":"","zip":"","lat":"","lng":"","phone1":"","phone2":"","fax":"","mon1":"","mon2":"","tue1":"","tue2":"","wed1":"","wed2":"","thu1":"","thu2":"","fri1":"","fri2":"","sat1":"","sat2":"","sun1":"","sun2":"","hours-note":"","locid":"","rating":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1640"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1646,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1640\/revisions\/1646"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mthoodent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}