Dysphagia Dysphagia means difficulty swallowing. Odynophagia means painful swallowing. Sometimes it is not easy for individuals to distinguish between these two problems. For example, food that sticks in the esophagus can be painful. Is this dysphagia or odynophagia or both? Technically it is dysphagia, but individuals may describe it as painful swallowing (odynophagia). Nevertheless, it is important to distinguish between the two because the causes of each may be quite different. Whe...