Muncie, DO, in the 1920's to address eustachian tube dysfunction. The technique is performed as follows: “the osteopathic physician should insert a gloved right index finger into the patient's mouth, placing the finger against the inferior part of the posterior pillar of the palatine tonsil.
The Muncie technique is an Osteopathic intra-oral approach to open up and drain that tube. If the tinnitus is secondary to Eustachian tube dysfunction, then this treatment might decrease the tinnitus.
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 tube massage
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. Repeat this process three times on each side, three times a day.
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.
Blocked eustachian tubes often get better on their own. For adults, decongestants that you take by mouth or spray into your nose may be helpful. If you have allergies, the doctor may prescribe a steroid medicine that you spray into your nose. Follow the instructions carefully.
The most common reason that the Eustachian tube closes is from inflammation within the tube and secretions that can block the tube from opening. With the tube closed, the middle ear has no way for the air to go in or out.
Symptoms of obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction include: Pressure and/or pain in the ears. A sense of fullness in the ears. Muffled hearing.
Adult eustachian tubes are angled downward from the ear into the back of the throat, allowing for gravity drainage of middle ear fluids and mucus.
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.
Steam inhalation can ease symptoms by getting more warm air into your nose and subsequently your Eustachian tubes. There are also two different devices you can try: the Otovent® and the Ear Popper®.
Chronic eustachian tube dysfunction is the condition where the eustachian tubes are in a seemingly endless state of being blocked. They may be closed for months on end, leading to long-term symptoms of inner-ear pain and hearing difficulty.
Chiropractic adjustments can help relieve ear pain and infection, and a simple manipulation is able to restore the function of the tube. Chiropractic care helps drain the eustachian tube by dilating the muscles around it, relieving pressure, and unblocking the tubes.
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.
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.
Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient found in oral decongestants. Oral decongestants are used in the treatment of eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and can help decrease peritubal edema provoked by allergies or URI. Oxymetazoline is an ingredient found in topical decongestants.
You can also try gargling salt water, which may help to clear your eustachian tubes. Another helpful technique is called autoinsufflation, which sends air through your eustachian tubes by squeezing your nose, closing your mouth and gently exhaling.
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.
During the minimally invasive procedure, a catheter is used to insert a small balloon through the nose and into the eustachian tube. The balloon is inflated, which opens the eustachian tube and allows air to flow through. Once the tube is open, the balloon is deflated and removed.
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.
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.
Muffled hearing can occur in one or both ears. When the condition occurs in one ear, it's likely a sign of a single-sided ear infection, a clogged ear or earwax buildup. Muffled hearing due to sinus infections or changes in pressure while flying or changing altitudes typically occurs in both ears.