Clicking or popping sounds. A feeling of fullness in your ears. Pain that mimics an ear infection.
If your ears are plugged, try swallowing, yawning or chewing sugar-free gum to open your eustachian tubes. If this doesn't work, take a deep breath and try to blow out of your nose gently while pinching your nostrils closed and keeping your mouth shut. If you hear a popping noise, you know you have succeeded.
Eustachian tube dysfunction may occur when the mucosal lining of the tube is swollen, or does not open or close properly. If the tube is dysfunctional, symptoms such as muffled hearing, pain, tinnitus, reduced hearing, a feeling of fullness in the ear or problems with balance may occur.
Blocked eustachian tubes often get better on their own. You may be able to open the blocked tubes with a simple exercise. Close your mouth, hold your nose, and gently blow as if you are blowing your nose. Yawning and chewing gum also may help.
Your doctor may use a variety of techniques to diagnose patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction while viewing your ear drum (tympanic membrane). Your doctor may ask you to breathe deeply and swallow to see how the ear drum responds. Your doctor may also measure the pressure inside your ear using specialized tools.
The doctor makes a small cut in the eardrum to drain fluid and to make the pressure the same inside and outside the ear. Sometimes the doctor will put a small tube in the eardrum. The tube usually will fall out over time.
Popping your ears can help open the eustachian tube, allowing fluid to drain. The simplest way to pop your ears is to yawn, chew, or swallow. You may also want to try popping your ears using something called the Valsalva maneuver: Take a deep breath and hold it.
What are the causes of Eustachian tube dysfunction? 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.
Blocked Eustachian tubes can be temporary if associated with a cold or a change in pressure such as being on an aeroplane. They can normally be remedied by your local pharmacy or by inhaling steam as you would for a blocked nose but, if they're causing you prolonged pain or discomfort, it's best to get checked by a GP.
Most cases of Eustachian tube dysfunction clear up in a few days with the help of over-the-counter medication and home remedies, but symptoms can last one to two weeks. If you're still having symptoms after two weeks, or they're getting worse, you may need more aggressive treatment.
Of note, fluid in the middle ears is treated the same way. Obviously, ear drops will not work because the eardrum prevents anything administered through the ear canal from getting to the eustachian tube which is located BEHIND the eardrum.
For example, untreated eustachian tube dysfunction can lead to an ear infection, a perforated eardrum, damage to the eardrum or the middle ear, as well as much more serious conditions such as the collapse of the eardrum or Cholesteatoma, a collection of cells that will damage the inside of your ear.
Swallowing helps to activate the muscles that open the eustachian tube. Sipping water or sucking on hard candy can help to increase the need to swallow. If yawning and swallowing do not work, take a deep breath and pinch the nose shut. Keeping the mouth closed, try to blow air through the nose gently.
Fluticasone nasal spray is available over the counter and is a nasal steroid spray. It is frequently recommended or prescribed for chronic eustachian tube dysfunction.
A blockage may be caused by enlarged adenoids, a buildup of earwax, or excess fluid - all conditions that will result in eustachian tube dysfunction. Though rare, a nasopharynx tumor or a tumor behind the eardrum can mimic eustachian tube dysfunction symptoms.
Eustachian tube massage
Use your finger to find a bony bump behind your ear lobe. Using firm, steady pressure, slide your finger down until you feel a groove between your ear lobe and jaw. Trace that groove all the way down your neck to your collarbone using the same firm pressure.
The eustachian tube drains normal secretions of the middle ear by the mucociliary transport system and by repeated active tubal opening and closing, which allows secretions to drain into the nasopharynx.
Allergies, head colds, pregnancy, and air pressure are some common reasons it may feel like your ears are full. Typically, plugged ears settle after a few days. Decongestants and nasal sprays are the best treatment for plugged ears that allergies and head colds cause.
To further check the Eustachian tube function while a pressure gradient exists between the ear canal/middle-ear space and the nasopharynx, the patient is asked to swallow some water. If the tube is functioning properly, some air pressure will be released as the patient swallows the water.
For a chronically blocked ear or a more severe ear infection, an ENT surgeon may need to perform surgery. This type of surgery usually involves a small incision in the eardrum in order to drain any fluid that has built up and to equalize air pressure.
The treatment for ETD is aimed at opening up the eustachian tube in the back of the nose. The main treatment is using a steroid nasal spray to help shrink the tissue where the ear drains. Nasal steroid (Flonase, Nasonex, Nasacort) – 2 sprays into each nostril twice daily.