2010-11-19 13:00:00
To find the solution to your clogged ear problem, you must begin by identifying the cause.
Your ears got clogged after a cold
In the case of a cold, the Eustachian tubes, which allow air to circulate between the nasal passages and the ears, are congested. “As the air no longer passes, the mucous membrane suffers and secretes a more or less viscous liquid which does not evacuate and cover your ears “, explains Dr. Pierre Ané, ENT surgeon. Hence the unpleasant feeling of having your head underwater.
Some people are more exposed than others to these complications (scarred eardrums, numerous ear infections in childhood, etc.). They are advised to treat a cold as soon as the first symptoms appear and to carry out preventive regular nose washes.
Treatment with cortisone or antihistamine drugs (as for an allergy) is sometimes necessary.
Your ears have suffered a sound trauma
The exposure to a very loud music can traumatize the ear, particularly vulnerable to high-pitched sounds. “Noise causes the membrane of the inner ear, under which there are cells that recognize sounds, to vibrate. When they are traumatized, some die, others grow back but randomly,” explains Dr. Ané.
The risk is to lose part of your hearing. have one or two blocked ears after a concert is a serious warning sign. You have to consult.
You have a wax blockage
The cerumen, which has a protective and antiseptic function, is secreted in the ear canal. The formation of an earwax plug mainly depends on the hygiene measures. “Many patients push it in using sticks,” observes Dr. Ané.
It is better to use a rubber bulb (without soap) or a pressurized bomb. Faced with a stubborn plug, the ENT doctor uses a suction probe or curettes.
Your ears get clogged on a plane or in the mountains
During a dive descent, and to a lesser extent by plane or in the mountains when you lose altitude, the ear experiences a pressure differencewhich causes this very annoying feeling.
To allow you to rebalance the pressures, a few solutions:
- swallow your saliva, yawn or chew gum;
- do the Valsalva maneuver : pinch your nose and blow out, keeping your mouth closed. At the extreme, one can train with a speech therapist;
- try a pressurizer, a small device that sends negative pressure into the ear and rebalances the eardrum;
- another simple solution: place plastic cups firmly over your ears during takeoff and landing.
You have a hearing problem after scuba diving
It may simply be a swollen earwax plug that has entered the ears. But one of the main risks of diving is the barotrauma, inflammation of the ear. If the Eustachian tubes, which balance the pressures, do not open spontaneously, air cannot enter. A strong depression is created in the ear, at the risk of hurt the eardrum.
Ear pain serves as a warning signal. If no solution to rebalance the pressures works, it is necessary to gradually rise to the surface. A consultation with the ENT specialist is then necessary to check that the inner ear has not been damaged.
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