When Should You See a Doctor for a Sore Throat?

Your pharynx, or throat, is essential for many everyday functions. It allows you to eat, drink, and breathe, while also housing your vocal cords (located in your larynx), which make speech possible. 

Your pharynx connects your head to the rest of your body and is divided into three sections: the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx. It even plays a role in how you experience taste.

We all struggle with sore throats (pharyngitis) at one time or another, often for minor reasons, but it can also result from an illness. Chicago, Illinois, residents dealing with sore throats or other nagging medical issues can get help from our team of doctors and dedicated staff at Michigan Avenue Primary Care.

To find out when you need medical help for a sore throat, let’s look at why sore throats happen, what you can do at home to manage them, and when you should visit us for treatment.

Common reasons for a sore throat

Broadly speaking, pharyngitis describes soreness, scratchiness, burning, or irritation in your throat that can worsen with everyday activities, such as talking or swallowing. This results from the mucosa (the tissue lining in your throat) becoming inflamed, and often happens due to issues like:

• Infection: airborne viruses and bacteria, like colds, flu, COVID-19, and strep throat
• Tonsillitis: inflammation of your tonsils, mainly due to viral or bacterial infection
• Allergies: one of several possible adverse reactions to otherwise harmless allergens
• Overuse: too much yelling, singing, talking, or other activity can cause soreness

• Acid reflux: when the acids in your stomach back up into your esophagus

A sore throat can also be accompanied by coughing, hoarseness, swollen lymph nodes, and nasal congestion, depending on the cause.

Home remedies to manage a sore throat

For minor to moderate throat problems, several home care methods can help, such as drinking hot or cold water, honey to coat your throat, frozen foods, gargling with saltwater, and using a humidifier to keep the tissue moist. Over-the-counter medications can also help reduce a sore throat and related symptoms, like decongestants, antihistamines, and cough suppressants. 

Throat lozenges and sprays containing benzocaine can help reduce soreness. A combination of these treatments often helps, and be sure to get plenty of rest.

When to seek medical help for a sore throat

If, in addition to the symptoms mentioned above, you experience drooling, trouble swallowing, difficulty breathing, neck or jaw swelling, a rash, or a fever, you should seek medical attention to determine the problem. Also, if your symptoms don’t improve or they worsen, we need to diagnose the problem to help you feel better. 

Sore throats can seem like a minor issue, but if the problem becomes chronic or you don’t feel better no matter what you do, make an appointment with our doctors at Michigan Avenue Primary Care today. You can also visit our urgent care center during operating hours, Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm.