hi, so a few days ago, I was eating my dinner which was bread and a sausage and then I swallowed a really big piece, but while I swallowed I was looking down(my head was angled down). i have never done this before. Suddenly I felt a pulling, tearing pain on the left side of my throat around the hyoid bone/thyroid area. I kept swallowing anyway because I just thought maybe a muscle got stuck or something like that and the food went down okay. Since that I’ve had an aching pain on that left side of my throat in the hyoid bone area and it is sore to drink or swallow food. I am very worried that something has gone Seriously wrong. I know some people try to push the hyoid bone back in place, but I have also tried and it hasn’t really made a difference. But has anyone got any idea of what has happened, is this permanent, is this the start of eagle syndrome, have I just injured a muscle etc? Would appreciate any advice.
I’d treat for a strained muscle- alternate heat & ice, take ibuprofen if you can tolerate it or topical gel otherwise for a few days to a week & see if things improve…if it doesn’t then it might be you’ll need a CT to look at the hyoid area, although that will show calcification, it won’t show if there’s a soft tissue injury…
ah thank you so much! i’m feeling the same, though i’ve realised i’m having some issues with food getting stuck around my thyroid cartilage 
i’m thinking the hyoid must’ve knocked the thyroid bone with how much my neck was bent downwards…. i’m hoping that settles in time too but yep feels like a muscle tore or something at the same time!
@susieee - How uncomfy that sounds! Please let us know if trying the regimen @Jules suggested is helpful after you try it for at least a couple of weeks.
I will say, an early ES symptom for me was choking on food i.e swallowing it before it was thoroughly chewed then having it get stuck in my esophagus. After this happened a few times, I had an upper GI to see if something was wrong in my esophagus, but my scan came back clear. It was a couple of years before I started having other symptoms that led to my ES diagnosis. If your throat continues to be really bothersome over the next month, getting a CT scan from skull base to hyoid bone to check for ES or Hyoid Bone Syndrome would be an option.
Thanks for replying! I’ve been taking anti inflammatories and honestly the muscle aching pain has already gone! (where i felt that ripping tearing pain)
but food is definitely still getting stuck around my thyroid cartilage which is distressing!!! my throat feels soooooo tight. i also do have a pharyngeal pouch which is a bit lower around my collarbones (extremely rare throat hernia) lower on that same left side which isn’t helping!! so i’m not sure if the event aggravated that too but i’ve never choked that high up before so i think it’s moved the bones or something OR could be the eagle syndrome related stuff that’s been kicked off. sigh if i find anything out i’ll be back!