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The esophagus, the tube that carries food from the throat down to the stomach, is composed of muscles. These muscle usually contract in a controlled sequence to propel the food down and keep it down much like the motion of milking a cow or squeezing a tube of tooth paste.

Sometimes these muscle can contract in an uncontrolled manner much like a cramp in your leg ("Charlie Horse"). When this happens it can create difficulty swallowing and chest pain that feels very similar to a heart attack.

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14y ago

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