This is the same problem that I have had for several years. I have to chew food very well before swallowing and pills larger than a pea have to be crushed before I can swallow them. Otherwise, they literally get stuck! Very unpleasant as they won't move up or down and I have to control my gag response and allow the stuck pill to begin to dissolve. Causes harm to my oesophagus so I don't risk it now.

I think it's caused my a blend of reflux and inflammation. I'm on a proton pump to try to limit further damage.

I had a problem back in the 80's when my neck was fusing, after the inflammation left no more problem.
J.R.

Saltire, (and others) - I found out a while back that the right person to help you with swallowing problems is actually a speech therapist. Sounds odd, but they can help you with techniques to minimise the chances of food getting stuck or going down the wrong way. Ask your GP for a referral if there is any chance that you are ending up choking at times. Well worth a session or two with the speech therapist.

Great suggestion, cemc.

I had some problems with my throat this last winter. Felt very tight and painful for more than 2 months, but wasn't a typical sore throat. Usual tests showed up nothing. I read that some folks can develop a chronic spasm in a muscle in their throat, and I remembered that this started right after I was badly grieving for a friend that died. I asked my PCP for a few muscle relaxant pills, and it cleared up within 3 days.

I also experience periodic hoarse voice - comes out of nowhere, may last hours or a day or so, goes away, and then comes back again randomly. I suspect that it is a form of inflammation from my PsA. I know that folks with RA can develop inflammation in the joint in the vocal cords (yep - there IS a joint there!). The periodic hoarse voice been going on around 6 months or so for me. I haven't bothered bringing it up with my rheumy yet, as we've been dealing with a lot of other issues.

good info from everyone, great to read this stuff and know we are not the only ones dealing w/symptoms that we did not think were related to AS.
Speech therapists can help so much with dysphagia, but not each one has a special background in it. Those who work with elderly people and those who have had strokes often have training with dysphagia.