Swallowing Problems

If you have frequent issues moving food or liquid from your mouth to your stomach, you may have dysphagia or difficulty swallowing. Swallowing disorders can cause a variety of symptoms such as coughing or choking while eating or drinking, frequent heartburn, pain when swallowing and unexplained weight loss.

The Nebraska Medicine Esophageal Diseases and Motility Clinic is the only clinic in the region offering a multidisciplinary approach to the evaluation and treatment of people with swallowing disorders.

Conditions we treat include but are not limited to:

• Benign esophageal masses and lesions
• Cricopharyngeal dysfunction
• Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or swallowing disorders
• Esophageal motility disorders
• Esophageal stricture
• Gastric and small bowel dysmotility
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)
• Post-surgical esophageal symptoms
• Zenker's diverticulum

What to expect

Our esophageal and gastrointestinal disorders specialists work closely with specialists throughout Nebraska Medicine to determine the best course of treatment for you. This multidisciplinary team may include specialists in gastroenterology, surgery, laryngology, speech pathology and nutrition. They may need to perform additional tests to determine which treatments options may work best for you.

Treatment options could include: 

• Diet changes
• Endoscopic intervention
• Medication
• Speech therapy
• Surgery

Our experts work with a shared goal in mind: to create an effective, targeted treatment plan that restores swallowing function and improves your quality of life.

Why you should choose Nebraska Medicine

Our esophageal and gastrointestinal disorders specialists are committed to delivering personalized care to patients in Nebraska and the surrounding area. We do so through a multi-disciplinary approach, which is the only of its kind in the area. If you’re having trouble swallowing our experts can help. Call 800.922.0000 to schedule an appointment today.