1 Related Resources Above-Knee Amputation Lower-limb amputation is a surgical procedure performed to remove a limb that has been damaged due to trauma or disease. 2  Find a PT Search our national database of physical therapists.
Food is moved through the pharynx and then enters the esophagus. This is the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Your esophagus is about 10 inches long, and it acts only as a passageway for food and drink. The esophagus passes behind the airway to the lungs and in front of the spinal column. It pierces the diaphragm before reaching the stomach. Food moves through your esophagus by a wavelike series of muscular contractions called peristalsis.
Next, the tongue pushes the food from the mouth to the throat (pharynx). The voice box (larynx) closes so no food can enter the breathing passages or lungs. Finally, a special muscle called a sphincter, located where the throat and esophagus join, opens so the food can move into the esophagus. Esophageal phase of swallowing. The esophagus is a tube-like organ that connects the mouth and throat with the stomach. At each end, the tube is closed by the contraction of special muscles called sphincters. The esophagus and sphincter muscles are designed to move what is swallowed to the stomach. They also prevent stomach contents from moving back up into the esophagus and breathing passages. Food that enters the esophagus is squeezed down to the stomach by a special muscle contraction called peristalsis.