On occasion, most people have experienced minor spasms or discomfort when eating, causing an instance of choking or coughing. When these episodes become frequent with swallowing difficulties, food regurgitation and pain, there is the possibility that an esophageal motility disorder is present. The esophagus connects the back of the throat to the stomach with a tubal muscle extending from the neck to the abdomen.
Causes
Patients without muscle contractions in the lower esophagus, achalasia, appear to have cell degeneration of the nerve cells within the muscle layers of the esophagus. This could be among the unknown reasons why esophageal muscles fail to function normally.
