Blocked ears caused by cabin pressure change

[BHX86]

Just your views guys and girls on how you deal with blocked ears caused by pressure change. I tend to get it and it can become really painful. I have been told that 'pinch noce and blow' is the best method to deal with it.

Has anybody else got any suggestions.

[slip and turn]

Well, assuming you know the physics and anatomy involved, are in general good health and are doing the right things (what you describe can help on the way down which is where the main problem is), then possibly you suffer from allergies?

Obviously if you have a cold then you might not be able to control the pressure differentials beyond a certain point.

My daughter suffers more than most and is a hayfever, horses and housedust allergy sufferer - if she feels she has been suffering one of the above she uses proprietory anti-allergen tablets for a couple of days before flying and that sometimes helps a little. She also uses the earplugs you can buy at airport branches of Boots for about a fiver which seem to flatten out the repressurisation gradients in her ears.

If she has had a cold however, she suffers more than most and if she feels she absolutely must fly with inflamed Eustachians she resorts to painkillers before coming down and keeps her fingers crossed that the JAA recommended maximum cabin repressurisation gradient isn't busted on the descent!

[PingDit]

Ask one of the stewardesses to provide you with something to suck on
...usually does the trick!
;)

[downwindabeam]

this is by no means a medical expert opinion, just a humble pilot's one....

take those cheap air plugs .... put them on just before you start the decent.... i'd even wear them for the entire duration of the flight....

also, in addition to the above, try to occupy yourself on the way down.... read a good book, solve math problems.... what ever floats your boat - but get into what you're doing....

those combined seem to work well.

[Hufty]

A good tip is to drink lots of water...all the time. The tubes can get blocked if the mucus inside them is sticky and slow to move. It really needs to drain effecively and if your body is well hydrated then it should. 3 litres a day each should be enough - sipped gradually throughout the day (and it is good for you anyway) and once your body gets used to it and begins to retain it you'll stop having to p so often!

[Bob the Doc]

For acute problems, Otrivine spray (generic name xylometazoline - it's available over the counter in most pharmacies) will reduce the inflammation in the back of the nose that causes most eustacian tube problems.

Only works in the short term as the body becomes tolerant to it. In fact if you use it for more than a week there are suggestions that you get a rebound worsening of symptoms.

If you are getting the problem regularly, you need to see your GP. It might be that anti-allergy tablets will help but beware some cause drowsiness and some are certainly banned for mil pilots and the same may be true for civ pilots too. Another option might be steroid nasal sprays (like Beconase) but again, you need to get your GP to have a look in your ears etc before using the longer term stuff

[GuiltByAssociation]

Some people like to chew gum, suck on candy, or drink fluids--these can work well. I've still found the "pinch nose and blow" to provide the most immediate relief. Now for way more information than you've asked for...

Anatomically, you're feeling the pressure in your middle ear. The tube that connects your middle ear with your throat is called the Eustachian tube.
The eustachian tube is normally closed, and only opens during swallowing and yawning. To a certain extent because of its anatomical shape, the eustachian tube functions as a one-way valve. Consequently, air can flow down the eustachian tube from the middle ear more easily then up.

Most people don't have the problem as the airplane ascends because on ascent, the air in the middle ear expands and forces itself down the eustachian tube into the nasopharynx (throat).

On descent air must be added to the middle ear in order to prevent the eardrum from being sucked inwards. Air is added by repeatedly opening the eustachian tube--chewing, swallowing, "pinch nose and blow". Or as in the case of babies, whose eustachian tubes are shorter, more horizontal, and more easily blocked than adults---they must cry to get relief.

[David Horn]

You can get a nasal decongestant spray at chemists, which seems to unblock the tubes by increasing blood flow around them. A couple of caveats, though:

a) The sensation of everything in your sinuses trickling down your throat isn't particularly pleasant.

b) You can become addicted to them - you get to a point where you need to take them continually to breathe comfortably through your nose. Apparently, millions of Americans are in this situation.

(b) has never happened to me, but I only use the things once or twice a year for a cold, and that rarely coincides with a flight. It worked remarkably well on that occasion, though.

[Bob the Doc]

Addicted is a bit of a strong word but there is a syndrome of reflex increased congestion associated with discontinuation after long term use. A week is generally recommended as a maximum. The reflex increase settles over time if you don't keep treating it with more decongestant (assuming you can put up with blocked sinuses for weeks!).

If symptoms persist for more than a week you should be seeing your doctor anyway in case there is another cause for the congestion or in case you need antibiotics for a bacterial infection of the fluid in the blocked sinuses.

[JusAWeeDram]

I used to pinch my nose all time to "pop" my ears, but recently i found that swallowing or even jus the movement of the jaw ivolved in swallowing is much more effective and not as inrusive as forcing your ears to "pop".
I know this is by no means a new break through but i never tried it before and saved me from many times of popping my ears and clutching the nearest thing to me in pain.

[obgraham]

I'm still trying to figure out the logic of what Hufty had to say!

IMHO, the Valsalva (the nose pinchy thing) for occasional blockage, and Otrivin spray, sparingly, for those who anticipate the problem will be recurrent.
_______
Graham MD

[gingernut]

Purely anecdotal, gently massaging the angle angle under the jaw seems to work for me, Valsalva tends to make things worse.

I guess the theory behind increasing the fluids, is to reduce the tenacity of the gunge circulating around the eustachian tube. (Again, this tends to work for me, not sure about the science behind it.)

Avoiding spicy foods the night before, also seems to make a difference.


I spent my last flight, watching the effect of altitude on the plastic wrappers around bread rolls, and sealled plastic water bottles. Fascinating stuff, no wonder some of you guys are always feeling ill.

Robert Boyle has a lot to answer to.

[Bob the Doc]

Anything that straightens out the Eustachian tube will work to some extent. Yawning, swallowing, stretching the neck (one side at a time, don't hang yourself!) and the valsalva manoeuvre all work. Some better than others in some people. It's better to start early as the greater the pressure differential, the harder to equalise it is. Similarly, if you can't clear your ears, it is better to ascend to a more comfortable altitude, clear your ears there and then descend again rather than putting up with the pain. Too much negative pressure in the middle ear can cause either a punctured eardrum (which relieves the pressure instantaneously but is rather painful) or, if left for a long time (or done repeatedly) a chronic overproduction of the mucus in the middle ear. It is basically the bodies attempt to equalise the pressure by adding volume (fluid, not air) to the cavity. This fluid can get thich and infected and can itself block the canal and prevent further equalisation of pressure. Chronic inflammation of the area will make the tube narrower and harder to clear.

All reasons to treat it early and prevent the problem in the first place (by not flying when you can't clear your ears). When on the ground, do a valsalva (pinch your nose and blow). If you don't feel/hear a pop in both ears then you may not be able to clear your ears. The problem may not become apparent until you try and descend, by which time it is too late!

I suppose another trick that would work is to maintain altitude but reduce cabin pressure. Make sure you don't get carried away or the masks might drop down and scare the pax!

[Hufty]

Somebody didn't understand my post - basically I have found that when I am dehydrated I occasianally have trouble popping my ears - it is better the more I have had to drink as the mucus seems to be thinner when my body is hydrated and drains away out of the eustachian tube more effectively.

You can avoid mucus forming foods too like dairy etc.