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The thoracic diaphragm, or simply the diaphragm (/ ˈ d aɪ ə f r æ m /; [1] Ancient Greek: διάφραγμα, romanized: diáphragma, lit. 'partition'), is a sheet of internal skeletal muscle [ 2 ] in humans and other mammals that extends across the bottom of the thoracic cavity .
Common Causes of Diaphragm Dysfunction When it comes to the exact reasons a respiratory muscle, like the diaphragm, gets tight in the first place is a bit of a chicken or egg scenario.
For example, a subphrenic abscess beneath the right diaphragm might cause a patient to feel pain in the right shoulder. Irritation of the phrenic nerve (or the tissues it supplies) leads to the hiccup reflex. A hiccup is a spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm, which pulls air against the closed folds of the larynx.
They cause muscle tension on the cricoid cartilage, leading to a globus feeling. Pharyngeal spasms, a more common source of a globus feeling, cause tension on the thyroid cartilage. They move up and down, left and right in the pharyngeal muscles. Both may be present. The patient complains about the signs and symptoms enumerated above.
Since the diaphragm moves up and down during breathing, penetrating trauma to various parts of the torso may injure the diaphragm; penetrating injuries as high as the third rib and as low as the twelfth have been found to injure the diaphragm. [10] Iatrogenic cases have occurred as a complication of medical procedures involving the thorax or ...
Hiatus hernia: A hiatal hernia occurs when a portion of the stomach pushes upward through the diaphragm into the chest cavity. While gastroesophageal reflux, presenting as heartburn and regurgitation, is the hallmark symptom, other manifestations such as dysphagia, epigastric or chest pain, and chronic iron deficiency anemia may also occur.
In the most extreme cases, upward pressure on the diaphragm and lungs can also cause shortness of breath. Through a variety of causes (see below), bloating is most commonly due to buildup of gas in the stomach, small intestine, or colon. The pressure sensation is often relieved, or at least lessened, by belching or flatulence. Medications that ...
Harrison's groove, also known as Harrison's sulcus, is a horizontal groove along the lower border of the thorax corresponding to the costal insertion of the diaphragm; it is usually caused by chronic asthma or obstructive respiratory disease.