Causes, treatment, and recovery time

Ear barotrauma refers to ear pain caused by a change in pressure around the ear. It can cause discomfort or pain as well as difficulty hearing.

Ear barotrauma usually clears up by itself, but some people may need to talk to a doctor, and in very severe cases, have corrective surgery.

It is important that people understand what ear barotrauma is so that they can seek medical attention if necessary. Read on for an overview of the causes, symptoms, and treatment of this condition.

Ear barotrauma is a condition that causes a person to feel pain or discomfort in the middle of their ear due to pressure changes in the surrounding air or water.

Scuba diving can often cause ear barotrauma, and it is also common during an airplane take-off or landing. Certain infections and blockages can cause ear barotrauma too.

The condition can be acute or chronic. Acute cases are common and generally harmless. However, a person with chronic ear barotrauma will experience prolonged symptoms, which may lead to further complications.

A blockage of the eustachian tube, which connects the ear and mouth, is a common cause of ear barotrauma.

The eustachian tube is responsible for maintaining balance when there are external changes in pressure. If a blockage occurs in the tube, the pressure differences inside and outside the middle ear can cause the symptoms of ear barotrauma.

The change in altitude when taking off or landing in an airplane can also cause ear barotrauma. The rapid ascent and descent of the plane combined with the pressurized cabins can cause an imbalance in pressure between the middle ear and outer ear. Altitude changes that occur when going quickly up or down a mountain can have similar effects.

It is also common for people to experience ear barotrauma while scuba diving, as changes in water pressure affect the tympanic cavity in the ear. When diving, it is crucial to descend slowly to prevent rapid changes in pressure causing injury to the ear.

Share on PinterestScuba diving may cause ear barotrauma.

The symptoms of ear barotrauma differ according to how severe and prolonged it is. Initially, a person may only feel an uncomfortable pressure inside the ear, but sometimes the condition can progress and worsen.

When air pressure changes are responsible for ear barotrauma, it often goes away as soon as the air pressure outside has normalized, and should not cause any further symptoms.

However, people may experience additional symptoms when ear barotrauma results from illness or a blockage in the middle ear.

Doctors classify ear barotrauma as either acute or chronic. Acute cases are quite common and are generally harmless. Chronic cases occur for an extended period and have the potential to cause further complications.

In mild cases, or when ear barotrauma first starts, a person may experience:

• difficulty hearing or mild hearing loss
• dizziness
• a feeling of fullness in the ear
• overall discomfort in the ear

In moderate to severe cases, or if ear barotrauma persists without treatment, a person may experience additional or worsening symptoms. These may include:

• injury to the eardrum
• fluid leakage or bleeding from the ear
• increased pain in the ear
• pressure sensation in the ear, similar to how it feels being underwater
• moderate to severe hearing loss

People with these symptoms may need to seek treatment to get symptom relief.

Mild cases of ear barotrauma cause symptoms that typically only last for a few minutes before clearing on their own.

In severe cases, a person may need treatment to resolve an underlying cause. The recovery time will depend on the severity of the underlying cause.

Ear barotrauma can sometimes lead to a ruptured eardrum, also called tympanic membrane perforation. If this happens, it may take several months for the ear to heal completely. A ruptured eardrum often heals spontaneously, but, if this is not the case, it is possible to repair the eardrum with surgery.

In most cases, the symptoms will clear up before a person can see their doctor. However, if the pain is severe or constantly recurring, or there is fluid leakage or bleeding from the ear, a person should see their doctor.

The doctor will ask when the symptoms occurred to see if they relate to air or water pressure changes. They will then check for ear infections and examine the eardrum and the inside of the external ear canal to look for signs of ear barotrauma.

If the eardrum appears to be pushed in or out, this can indicate ear barotrauma. The doctor can check this by applying a small burst of air into the ear to look for fluid buildup or blood behind the eardrum. In some cases, there is no physical evidence of ear barotrauma.

Following the examination, the doctor will discuss the most appropriate treatment options and next steps.

Share on PinterestChewing gum may help to relieve the symptoms of ear barotrauma.

Most cases of ear barotrauma will resolve after a short period without the need for medical intervention.

However, it should be possible to relieve the symptoms of mild ear barotrauma by using certain techniques to help open the eustachian tube. This allows air to enter or leave the middle ear to equalize the pressure. These techniques include:

• Chewing gum, sucking on a lozenge, swallowing, or yawning. Using the mouth helps to open up the eustachian tube.
• Taking an over-the-counter (OTC) nasal decongestant, antihistamine, or both. If a person has upper respiratory congestion or an allergy, this may help the eustachian tube to stay open.
• Stopping a diving descent at the first sign of ear discomfort to allow time for equalizing.

People should avoid putting drops in the ear.

It is essential to keep the ear clean and away from contamination to prevent any infection while it is healing. If an infection is present, a doctor may prescribe antibiotic therapy.

In cases of chronic or severe ear barotrauma, a doctor may decide that surgery is necessary. Using a particular surgical procedure, it is possible to implant small cylinders called ear tubes into the ear. These can relieve middle ear problems.

The use of ear tube placement surgery is common in children who have hearing loss due to recurrent infections or ongoing fluid collection in the middle ear. However, surgeons rarely use this procedure to treat ear barotrauma.

A person can reduce their risk of experiencing ear barotrauma by taking a decongestant, an antihistamine, or both before activities where pressure changes are common. These include scuba diving, hiking, and flying in an airplane.

They can also preempt the symptoms and use the same techniques that can relieve early symptoms. These include:

• descending slowly on dives
• exhaling through the nose while ascending
• chewing, yawning, sucking on a lozenge, or swallowing
• staying awake during take-off and landing in an airplane

Most cases of ear barotrauma are benign and will resolve without medical treatment. A person should consider seeking medical attention if additional symptoms accompany the sensation, it lasts for a long time, or it occurs frequently.

Following treatment, a person should not experience further complications and can expect a full recovery.

Causes, treatment, and recovery time

Ear barotrauma refers to ear pain caused by a change in pressure around the ear. It can cause discomfort or pain as well as difficulty hearing.

Ear barotrauma usually clears up by itself, but some people may need to talk to a doctor, and in very severe cases, have corrective surgery.

It is important that people understand what ear barotrauma is so that they can seek medical attention if necessary. Read on for an overview of the causes, symptoms, and treatment of this condition.

Ear barotrauma is a condition that causes a person to feel pain or discomfort in the middle of their ear due to pressure changes in the surrounding air or water.

Scuba diving can often cause ear barotrauma, and it is also common during an airplane take-off or landing. Certain infections and blockages can cause ear barotrauma too.

The condition can be acute or chronic. Acute cases are common and generally harmless. However, a person with chronic ear barotrauma will experience prolonged symptoms, which may lead to further complications.

A blockage of the eustachian tube, which connects the ear and mouth, is a common cause of ear barotrauma.

The eustachian tube is responsible for maintaining balance when there are external changes in pressure. If a blockage occurs in the tube, the pressure differences inside and outside the middle ear can cause the symptoms of ear barotrauma.

The change in altitude when taking off or landing in an airplane can also cause ear barotrauma. The rapid ascent and descent of the plane combined with the pressurized cabins can cause an imbalance in pressure between the middle ear and outer ear. Altitude changes that occur when going quickly up or down a mountain can have similar effects.

It is also common for people to experience ear barotrauma while scuba diving, as changes in water pressure affect the tympanic cavity in the ear. When diving, it is crucial to descend slowly to prevent rapid changes in pressure causing injury to the ear.

Share on PinterestScuba diving may cause ear barotrauma.

The symptoms of ear barotrauma differ according to how severe and prolonged it is. Initially, a person may only feel an uncomfortable pressure inside the ear, but sometimes the condition can progress and worsen.

When air pressure changes are responsible for ear barotrauma, it often goes away as soon as the air pressure outside has normalized, and should not cause any further symptoms.

However, people may experience additional symptoms when ear barotrauma results from illness or a blockage in the middle ear.

Doctors classify ear barotrauma as either acute or chronic. Acute cases are quite common and are generally harmless. Chronic cases occur for an extended period and have the potential to cause further complications.

In mild cases, or when ear barotrauma first starts, a person may experience:

• difficulty hearing or mild hearing loss
• dizziness
• a feeling of fullness in the ear
• overall discomfort in the ear

In moderate to severe cases, or if ear barotrauma persists without treatment, a person may experience additional or worsening symptoms. These may include:

• injury to the eardrum
• fluid leakage or bleeding from the ear
• increased pain in the ear
• pressure sensation in the ear, similar to how it feels being underwater
• moderate to severe hearing loss

People with these symptoms may need to seek treatment to get symptom relief.

Mild cases of ear barotrauma cause symptoms that typically only last for a few minutes before clearing on their own.

In severe cases, a person may need treatment to resolve an underlying cause. The recovery time will depend on the severity of the underlying cause.

Ear barotrauma can sometimes lead to a ruptured eardrum, also called tympanic membrane perforation. If this happens, it may take several months for the ear to heal completely. A ruptured eardrum often heals spontaneously, but, if this is not the case, it is possible to repair the eardrum with surgery.

In most cases, the symptoms will clear up before a person can see their doctor. However, if the pain is severe or constantly recurring, or there is fluid leakage or bleeding from the ear, a person should see their doctor.

The doctor will ask when the symptoms occurred to see if they relate to air or water pressure changes. They will then check for ear infections and examine the eardrum and the inside of the external ear canal to look for signs of ear barotrauma.

If the eardrum appears to be pushed in or out, this can indicate ear barotrauma. The doctor can check this by applying a small burst of air into the ear to look for fluid buildup or blood behind the eardrum. In some cases, there is no physical evidence of ear barotrauma.

Following the examination, the doctor will discuss the most appropriate treatment options and next steps.

Share on PinterestChewing gum may help to relieve the symptoms of ear barotrauma.

Most cases of ear barotrauma will resolve after a short period without the need for medical intervention.

However, it should be possible to relieve the symptoms of mild ear barotrauma by using certain techniques to help open the eustachian tube. This allows air to enter or leave the middle ear to equalize the pressure. These techniques include:

• Chewing gum, sucking on a lozenge, swallowing, or yawning. Using the mouth helps to open up the eustachian tube.
• Taking an over-the-counter (OTC) nasal decongestant, antihistamine, or both. If a person has upper respiratory congestion or an allergy, this may help the eustachian tube to stay open.
• Stopping a diving descent at the first sign of ear discomfort to allow time for equalizing.

People should avoid putting drops in the ear.

It is essential to keep the ear clean and away from contamination to prevent any infection while it is healing. If an infection is present, a doctor may prescribe antibiotic therapy.

In cases of chronic or severe ear barotrauma, a doctor may decide that surgery is necessary. Using a particular surgical procedure, it is possible to implant small cylinders called ear tubes into the ear. These can relieve middle ear problems.

The use of ear tube placement surgery is common in children who have hearing loss due to recurrent infections or ongoing fluid collection in the middle ear. However, surgeons rarely use this procedure to treat ear barotrauma.

A person can reduce their risk of experiencing ear barotrauma by taking a decongestant, an antihistamine, or both before activities where pressure changes are common. These include scuba diving, hiking, and flying in an airplane.

They can also preempt the symptoms and use the same techniques that can relieve early symptoms. These include:

• descending slowly on dives
• exhaling through the nose while ascending
• chewing, yawning, sucking on a lozenge, or swallowing
• staying awake during take-off and landing in an airplane

Most cases of ear barotrauma are benign and will resolve without medical treatment. A person should consider seeking medical attention if additional symptoms accompany the sensation, it lasts for a long time, or it occurs frequently.

Following treatment, a person should not experience further complications and can expect a full recovery.

After diving, my ear hurts, what should I do?

There are several reasons why the ear hurts after diving in the sea or pool, either one or both. Let’s figure it out.

1

After diving or swimming, you haven’t dried your ears and blown out or froze them.

In this case, the ear hurts due to inflammation due to hypothermia. With this problem, it is better to consult a doctor.

2

You did not compensate for pressure in the middle ear cavity and damaged the eardrum.

If your ears hurt while diving, but you continued to dive deeper, you probably pulled on your eardrum and now it hurts. Don’t worry, this pain usually subsides in a day or two. However, you should be more attentive to the pulled ear – due to microtraumas, it is more susceptible to hypothermia and various pathogens. Rinse your ears with fresh water, dry them and keep warm. To avoid such situations, you need to be able to blow properly.

What is purge?

This question is asked by all people who start diving and learn about diving.

Many who hear about deep diving for the first time remember their experiences in a pool or open water. And what about the ears? they are interested. Their interest is well justified.

Airflow is a compensation of pressure in the air cavities when diving, and further, in this article you will learn why it is needed.

No matter what a diver does, he always has to deal with pressure compensation. Experienced deep divers have almost more questions about “purging” than beginners.

Why does my ear hurt after diving?

When we dive underwater, we are under more pressure than what is acting on us on the surface. Because of this, the air in the cavities of the human body, when immersed under water, decreases in volume.

Experiment

Try to lower an empty plastic bottle with a tightly closed cap under water to a depth of 2-3 meters and you will see that it will begin to shrink along with the air in it. The same thing happens with the air cavities of the human body.

• Soft cavities. Gastrointestinal cavities.
• Rigid cavities. Paranasal sinuses.
• Rigid cavities. Middle ear cavity

Some of the cavities in our body cannot compress with air. When we talk about forced and human-controlled pressure compensation, we mean only those cavities (of our body) that have rigid walls. Fortunately, most of them are soft (such as the gastrointestinal tract, for example). They freely compress and decompress after the air in them, and a person, as a rule, does not feel this. Therefore, all the attention of divers turns to hard cavities: the sinuses of the nose and the cavity of the middle ear.

The middle ear is closed by the tympanic membrane. Under the influence of water pressure, the membrane bends inward, stretches. This causes pain in the ears when diving under water. How to avoid this and dive in pleasure?

In the next article, we will take a closer look at the anatomy and how to compensate for pressure.

Why does my forehead hurt when diving?

If your forehead or the area under your eyes starts to hurt when diving under water, this means that the pressure in the paranasal sinuses is not compensated. As it was written earlier, a person cannot control the process of compensating pressure in the sinuses. This should happen by itself. If this does not happen, this indicates that the sinuses are inflamed. You may have been sick recently or are starting to get sick.

We talk about purging and the physiology of diving in detail in the course “Fundamentals of diving with a breath hold in depth”

What to do if your ear is blocked

19 May 2022

Likbez

Health

How to determine what is causing your hearing loss and when to see a doctor.

Jan Sirota

Otolaryngologist of the DocMed clinic network

You can listen to the short version of the article. If it’s more convenient for you, turn on the podcast.

What ear congestion says

The tympanic membrane, a thin membrane that separates the external auditory canal from the middle ear, is responsible for picking up sound. Sound waves make it vibrate. With the help of the malleus and other auditory ossicles located in the middle ear, the membrane transmits vibration to the cochlea, a complex organ of the inner ear. In turn, the cochlea converts mechanical vibrations into electrical signals that are sent to the brain through the auditory nerve. So we hear.

Image: Ace2020 / Shutterstock

The feeling of fullness occurs when something prevents the eardrum from vibrating. Various factors can lead to this.

Why the ears are blocked

Here are some common reasons.

1. Foreign object in ear . Sometimes a small element (it can be cotton from a cosmetic stick, dirt, a part from a child’s toy) blocks the external auditory canal. As a result, sound vibrations simply do not reach the eardrum or are weakened.
2. Water in the ear . This is the same foreign object, only liquid. It is possible to assume that water got into the ear if the feeling of congestion arose immediately after bathing.
3. Sulfur plug . Earwax protects the ears from infection and pollution. But sometimes it produces too much. It accumulates in the ear canal and blocks it, preventing sound vibrations from reaching the eardrum. By the way, sulfur absorbs moisture well and swells, so a cork often occurs after water procedures.
4. External auditory canal infections (otitis externa) . They often happen due to water getting into the ear: bacteria multiply rapidly in a humid environment. That is why the second name of otitis externa is “swimmer’s ear”. However, the infection can also enter the ear canal through wounds that appear, for example, when cleaning the ears with a finger or a cotton swab. You can also get sick if you use dirty in-ear headphones. Otitis is accompanied by swelling, the ear canal narrows, and it becomes more difficult for sound waves to reach the eardrum.
5. Pressure drops . If the pressure inside the ear is greater than outside, or vice versa, the eardrum bulges. In this tense state, it is difficult for her to vibrate. Pressure drops occur during landing or takeoff of an aircraft, rapid climb (for example, in an elevator or in the mountains), and scuba diving. As soon as the pressure inside and outside the ear equalizes, the congestion disappears.
6. Runny nose . The pressure in the ears is equalized with the help of the so-called Eustachian tube – a cavity that connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx. Normally, the tube is closed, but during yawning or swallowing, it opens, so you can hear a click in the ear. During illness, this process is hindered by mucosal edema. Because of this, it becomes difficult to equalize the pressure, and the ears are laid.
7. Inflammation of the middle ear (otitis media) . The most common cause of otitis media is SARS, including influenza and covid, as well as sinusitis and tonsillitis. In such cases, infections from the nasopharynx through the Eustachian tube rise to the middle ear. Inflammation can also affect the eardrum: it swells and is less sensitive to sound vibrations.

Actions depend on the causes of congestion, because otitis media and water in the ear are completely different situations.

What to do if there is a foreign object in the ear

Image: Svitlana Pavliuk / Shutterstock

The structure of the ear is such that trying to get something out of it is dangerous. Picking a cotton swab in the ear canal, you can accidentally damage the eardrum. And this is fraught with even deafness. Therefore, put the wand aside and go to the otolaryngologist as soon as possible. Seeing a doctor will end up taking less time than trying to get something that doesn’t roll out on its own.

What to do if your ear is stuffed up after swimming

As a rule, water flows out of the ear on its own or dries up over time without causing any inconvenience. But you can speed up the process:

1. Just lay your ear on the pillow with a towel under it and wait. Water can flow out due to gravity.
2. Pull your ear up and back behind the sink, then tilt your head. This will straighten the ear canal (it is curved for protection) and be able to get rid of excess fluid.

Usually water in the ear does not lead to serious consequences. But it is worth remembering that moisture is an excellent breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria. If the feeling of congestion does not go away after 2-3 days, and even more so if pain has been added to it, contact your therapist or ENT as soon as possible.

What to do if the ear is stuffed up due to a cerumen plug

We cannot determine for sure that the plug is to blame for the blockage, unless there is an otoscope at home. This device is used to examine the ears. Therefore, if you suspect a sulfur plug, you should see an otolaryngologist. The doctor will make an accurate diagnosis and quickly remove sulfur.

Most often, the ear is washed: warm water is drawn into a large syringe without a needle. The patient sits up straight and holds a container where the liquid will drain. A syringe is inserted into the ear and a jet of water is directed along the back upper wall of the ear canal, which washes out the plug.

If a person has a perforated tympanic membrane after some illness (that is, there is a hole in it), the ear is not washed and, moreover, nothing is instilled into it. The cork in this case is taken out with a special probe with a hook.

If you have wax buildup on a regular basis, your doctor will tell you how to get rid of it at home. For example, he may recommend pharmacy drops that help soften and remove wax. Or he will advise you to bury hydrogen peroxide (3%), glycerin or baby oil in your ear. You will most likely have to repeat this procedure several times before the cork begins to dissolve and fall out.

Please note that home remedies should only be used on the advice of a doctor who has determined that you have no contraindications to them.

What to do if your ear is blocked due to illness

An ear infection has characteristic signs. This can be ear congestion, pain, including when opening the mouth, as well as chills, malaise, fever.

In this case, you need to see a general practitioner or an otolaryngologist. The doctor will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Seeing a specialist is very important, as different otitis media are treated differently. For external use, drops with antibiotics and hormones can be used to kill microbes and relieve swelling. But with an average, the process is not available for drops, so symptomatic treatment of the nose and monitoring of symptoms are more often required. If they worsen, antibiotics are already taken by mouth.

And do not try to self-medicate: with otitis media it is simply dangerous. Home remedies may not work, which means you will allow the infection to spread. Getting rid of it will be much more difficult.

Never heat your ears if you suspect an infection. This may lead to a worsening of the condition.

What to do if your ear is stuffed up after a flight or an elevator

Usually such stuffiness goes away on its own. But if it bothered you a lot in the past, try to prevent it. Here are some ways that work.

1. Chew gum or have a lozenge in your mouth during takeoff and landing. If there is nothing suitable at hand, just try to yawn as wide as possible, open your mouth or rinse it with water. Jaw movements cause the muscles that open the Eustachian tube to work. Air enters it and the pressure equalizes.
2. Half an hour to an hour before take-off and landing, put a vasoconstrictor in your nose. They will help prevent swelling and a decrease in the diameter of the Eustachian tube.
3. Avoid flying if you have a runny nose, nasal congestion or ear infections. If you have recently had ear surgery, check with your doctor when it will be safe to travel again.
4. Use special earplugs for aircraft.