swallowing (redirected from repeated swallowing)

swallowing /swal·low·ing/ (swahl´o-ing) the taking in of a substance through the mouth and pharynx, past the cricopharyngeal sphincter, through the esophagus, and into the stomach.

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swallowing

[swol′ō·ing]

Etymology: AS, swelgan

the process that usually involves movement of food from the mouth to the stomach via the esophagus. Coordination of muscles is needed from the tongue to the esophageal sphincter. See also swallowing reflex.

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swallowing [swahl´o-ing]

the taking in of a substance through the mouth and pharynx and into the esophagus. It is a combination of a voluntary act and a series of reflex actions. Once begun, the process operates automatically. Called also deglutition.

The Three Stages of Swallowing. In the first, voluntary, stage of swallowing, the cheeks are sucked in slightly and the tongue is arched against the hard palate, so that the bolus, or ball of chewed food, is moved to the pharynx.



Normally, air is free to pass from the nose or mouth to the lungs and back again. But the moment the bolus approaches the fauces, the passage from the mouth to the pharynx, nerve centers are triggered that control a series of reflex actions. After one quick inhalation, breathing is halted for the brief instant of the next stage.

In this second, involuntary, stage of swallowing, the rear edge of the soft palate, which hangs down from the roof of the mouth, swings up against the back of the pharynx and blocks the passages to the nose. The back of the tongue fits tightly into the space between two muscular pillars at each side of the fauces, sealing the way back to the mouth. Simultaneously, the larynx moves upward against the epiglottis, effectively closing the entrance to the trachea.

Sometimes the larynx does not move up quickly enough and food gets into the air passage, stimulating a coughing reaction. With the one-way route to the stomach firmly established, however, the muscular coat of the pharynx contracts, squeezing the ball of food and forcing its passage into the esophagus.

In the third stage, the rhythmic contraction (peristalsis) of the muscles of the esophagus moves the food on to the stomach. The cardiac sphincter keeps the stomach entrance closed until food is swallowed. As the food approaches, moved by the wavelike contractions of the esophagus, the advancing portion of the wave causes the sphincter to relax and open, while the rear and contracting portion forces the ball of food through the entrance.

impaired swallowing a nursing diagnosis accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, defined as a state in which an individual has decreased ability to voluntarily pass fluids or solids from the mouth to the stomach.

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swallowing,

n See deglutition.

swallowing threshold,

n See threshold, swallowing.

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swallowing

the taking in of a substance through the mouth and pharynx and into the esophagus. It is a combination of a voluntary act and a series of reflex actions. Once begun, the process operates automatically. Called also deglutition.

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swallowing disorders

difficulty in swallowing may be caused by foreign body obstruction, by inflammation of the lining or by a defect in nervous control. The nerves involved are the sensory and motor branches of the trigeminal nerve, the hypoglossal, the facial and the glossopharyngeal nerves. Called also dysphagia.

swallowing reflex

begins as soon as the bolus of ingesta approaches the entry to the pharynx. In a series of reflex actions: breathing is halted, the soft palate elevates and closes the entrance to the nasal cavities, the tongue is clamped into the fauces, closing the exit from the pharynx back into the mouth, the epiglottis closes off the larynx, the pharynx contracts and forces the bolus into the esophagus, peristalsis-like movements in the esophagus carry the food to the cardia which relaxes and the food is propelled into the stomach. Called also palatal reflex.

repeated swallowing

a sign of partial esophageal obstruction.

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Patient discussion about swallowing.

Q. Why is it hard to swallow when you have a sore throat? I was sick last week. I had a sore throat pain in my neck and fever. the most annoying symptom that i had was pain during sallowing. what is the source of that pain, and what can I do to ease it next time?

A. When you have an inflammation in your body, the sick area hurts when its palpated. when your neck is inflamed, you have a pain in the neck. when the inside part of the neck is inflamed you have tonsillitis.
When you eat something, it touches your inside of the neck, and if it's inflamed it will be painful.
The good news is that you can treat this pain in the same way you treat other inflammatory pain - hot (NOT boiling) tea.

Q. Is it dangerous to swallow a bubble gum? My 4 year old child always swallows his chewing gum and I am worried that it can harm him

A. what about when your 45 yrs old and still swallowing gum? we had a debate with my older sister about this.

Q. every time my friend eat, before she swallow it she gets severe heartburns and nausea. what causes this

A. She could be suffering from gastric acid problems and should try taking anti-acid medications (after consulting a doctor, of course). Also there's a simple test that can be done for a bacteria called H.pylori that makes the stomach produce more acid, and by taking antibiotics this problem resolves.