It can be painful and cause difficulty in hearing. But there are a few ways to drain the fluid from the middle ear, that can be done at home, and they include applying a warm compress, steam inhalation, popping the ear, and the Valsalva maneuver. Some over-the-counter medicines may also be useful.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to drain fluid from your middle ear at home. Such home remedies include applying a warm compress, inhaling steam, popping your ears, and a technique known as the Valsalva maneuver. Over-the-counter medicines may also help.
Effective home remedies for safe fluid drainage include jiggling the earlobe, using gravity, creating a vacuum, using a blow dryer, trying ear drops or sprays, trying more water, inhaling steam, and gargling with saltwater.
A myringotomy is a surgery performed on your tympanic membrane (eardrum). A tiny incision is created in your eardrum to allow fluid to drain from your middle ear. Myringotomy is most often recommended to treat otitis media with effusion (fluid in the ear).
If the Eustachian tubes are blocked, fluid in the ear cannot drain normally. If bacteria grow in the middle ear fluid, an effusion can turn into a middle ear infection (acute otitis media). This will usually increase pressure behind the eardrum and cause a lot of pain. The eardrum will become red and bulging.
In most cases, the fluid clears up within a few months without treatment. You may need more tests if the fluid does not clear up after 3 months. For adults, decongestants that you take by mouth or spray into your nose may be helpful.
- The Eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of the throat, can be opened by swallowing and yawning, allowing the fluid to drain spontaneously. - Over-the-counter nasal decongestant sprays or drops can help relieve nasal congestion and widen the Eustachian tube, enabling the fluid to drain.
In an ear infection, narrow tubes that run from the middle ear to high in the back of the throat (eustachian tubes) can become swollen and blocked. This can lead to mucus build-up in the middle ear. This mucus can become infected and cause ear infection symptoms.
Symptoms of Eustachian tube dysfunction usually go away without treatment. You can do exercises to open up the tubes. This includes swallowing, yawning, or chewing gum. You can help relieve the “full ear” feeling by taking a deep breath, pinching your nostrils closed, and “blowing” with your mouth shut.
Eustachian tubes connect the middle ears to the back of your throat. They help drain fluid and equalize the air pressure inside your ears. Sometimes, your eustachian tubes can become blocked due to colds, allergies or infections.
How Long Do Ear Infections Last? Middle ear infections often go away on their own within 2 or 3 days, even without any specific treatment. Often, there's fluid in the middle ear even after an infection clears up. If it's there for longer than than 3 months, more treatment might be needed.
Fluid draining from the ear is often caused by ear infections. A middle ear infection, also called otitis media, causes a build-up of fluid behind the ear drum. It is especially common in children but can happen at any age.
Pop Your Ears by Holding Your Nose
Then close your mouth and nostrils with your fingers. Lightly blow out against the pressure. This should make your ears pop. The pressure you're blowing against forces your Eustachian tubes open a little which drains pressure and fluid stuck in your ear.
Diagnosing Obstructive Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Over time, negative pressure can build up in the ear, causing pain, ear fullness and muffled hearing. When this occurs, sometimes your doctor can see the ear drum (tympanic membrane) change shape due to this pressure and become concave.
An instrument called a pneumatic otoscope is often the only specialized tool a doctor needs to diagnose an ear infection. This instrument enables the doctor to look in the ear and judge whether there is fluid behind the eardrum. With the pneumatic otoscope, the doctor gently puffs air against the eardrum.
Three out of four children can expect to have at least one episode by age three. Two major risk factors include smoking among family members and spending time in day care centers. There can be a milky white fluid in the middle ear space (“glue ear”) than can cause intense pain and even rupture the drum.
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a condition in which there is fluid in the middle ear but no signs of acute infection. As fluid builds up in the middle ear and Eustachian tube, it places pressure on the tympanic membrane.
Colds, flus, sinus infections, or allergies can cause the Eustachian tube in one or both ears to become inflamed, preventing proper mucus drainage and leading to symptoms. Altitude changes can also cause problems with the Eustachian tubes or aggravate existing inflammation.
Close your mouth, hold your nose, and gently blow as if you are blowing your nose. Yawning and chewing gum also may help. You may hear or feel a "pop" when the tubes open to make the pressure equal between the inside and outside of your ears.
Is It Possible That the Ear Fluid Will Just Go Away on Its Own? Fluid often goes away on its own, so your doctor will often recommend watchful waiting for the first three months. Be sure to follow-up with your doctor to make sure the fluid goes away completely.
You can also perform self-massage to experience immediate relief from ear pain and infection. Massaging your ears allows your Eustachian tubes to open up, which promotes drainage and gets everything moving downward. Massaging your Eustachian tubes is a great way to combat ear infection pain.