If you’re choking and no one is around to help, you can perform abdominal thrusts on yourself to force the object out of your airway. The technique uses the same principle as the standard Heimlich maneuver: a sharp burst of pressure below the lungs pushes air upward and ejects whatever is stuck. You have two options, your own fists or a piece of furniture, and both can save your life.
Know When to Act
Not every choking moment calls for abdominal thrusts. If you can still cough forcefully, keep coughing. A strong cough generates enough airflow to clear a partial blockage on its own, and thrusting while you can still breathe may do more harm than good.
A complete airway blockage is different. You won’t be able to talk, cry out, breathe, or produce an effective cough. You may feel intense panic set in quickly. If air is not moving at all, that’s when you need to act immediately.
The Fist Technique
Make a fist with one hand and place it slightly above your navel, thumb side against your abdomen. Wrap your other hand around the fist. Shove inward and upward in a quick, forceful motion. Each thrust should be deliberate and aggressive. You’re trying to mimic the sudden compression someone else would apply from behind you. Repeat until the object comes out or you can breathe again.
This is harder to do on yourself than it sounds. Your own muscles resist the inward force, which limits how much pressure you can generate. That’s why the chair method is often more effective.
Using a Chair or Countertop
Lean your upper abdomen (the area just above your navel) over the back of a sturdy chair, the edge of a countertop, or a railing. Then thrust your body downward so the edge drives into your upper belly. Gravity helps you generate more force than your fists alone can produce.
Research backs this up. One study found that self-administered thrusts over the back of a chair created greater airway pressure than the conventional fist technique. Since most choking happens while eating, there’s almost always a chair within reach. Position the edge right at that soft spot between your rib cage and navel, and push down hard and fast. Repeat as needed.
If You’re Pregnant or Carrying Extra Weight
Standard abdominal thrusts don’t work well when a belly gets in the way of proper fist placement. If you’re pregnant or have a larger midsection, switch to chest thrusts instead. Place your fist on the center of your breastbone, between the nipples. Press inward with firm, sharp thrusts. You can also position your chest against the edge of a sturdy surface and use the same leaning technique described above, just higher up on your body.
Call 911 First If You Can
The Mayo Clinic recommends calling 911 (or your local emergency number) before you begin self-administered thrusts. This sounds counterintuitive when you can’t breathe, but if you lose consciousness, help is already on the way. Many phones allow you to dial emergency services with voice commands or by pressing a side button repeatedly. Even if you can’t speak, an open 911 line prompts dispatchers to send help to your location.
Why Anti-Choking Devices Aren’t the First Choice
Suction-based anti-choking devices are sold for home use, but the FDA has a clear position: established choking rescue protocols from the American Red Cross and American Heart Association have a high success rate and should be your first response. Anti-choking devices require unpacking, assembly, and correct positioning, all of which eat into seconds you don’t have. The FDA has also received reports of these devices failing to create enough suction, as well as causing bruising around the face and scratches in the throat. If standard thrusts don’t work, a device can be tried as a backup, but it should never replace the maneuver itself.
After the Object Comes Out
Even if you successfully clear the blockage and feel fine, get a medical evaluation. The object may have scratched or torn tissue on the way out, and small fragments can remain lodged deeper in the airway without causing obvious symptoms right away. The thrusts themselves can also cause internal bruising or, in rare cases, damage to abdominal organs.
If you have any difficulty breathing, throat pain, trouble swallowing, chest pain, or abdominal pain after the incident, those are stronger reasons to seek care promptly. But even without symptoms, a checkup confirms the airway is fully clear and nothing was injured during the rescue.
Practice the Motion Before You Need It
Choking triggers panic, and panic makes it hard to remember instructions you read once. Walk through the motions now: find the spot above your navel, make the fist, position yourself over a chair back. Identify which surfaces in your kitchen or dining area are the right height and sturdiness. The goal is muscle memory so that if the moment comes, your body knows what to do before your brain catches up.