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.
Untreated earwax buildup can lead to hearing loss, irritation, pain in your ear, dizziness, ringing in your ears and other issues.
Your ear congestion may have happened during an ear infection and never went away, or may get worse when eating certain foods, or they may have become plugged at the onset of an autoimmune condition. In this article, we will use an example case to show that chronic ear congestion can signal a deeper imbalance.
However, if impacted ear wax is left untreated in the canal for too long, it can potentially lead to more permanent hearing loss. Researchers have found that mice exposed to conductive hearing loss over the course of a year experienced lasting damage to the inner ear.
Clogged ears can also result from swollen or blocked eustachian tubes, which connect the middle ear to the back of the throat. This can happen for brief periods during air travel, but also due to allergies, sinus or ear infections, or other respiratory viruses (including COVID-19).
People can often treat ear congestion with home remedies and OTC medications. However, a person may want to speak with a doctor about their ear congestion if: their symptoms persist despite using at-home or OTC treatments. they develop a fever.
Your health care provider can remove excess wax by using a small, curved tool called a curet or by using suction techniques. Your provider can also flush out the wax using a syringe filled with warm water and saline or diluted hydrogen peroxide.
When the eustachian tube is blocked, it prevents the air bubble from moving into the middle ear, eventually creating a vacuum and pulling on the eardrum. This can be uncomfortable and can cause other problems in the ear, such as hearing loss and dizziness.
Allergies and infections (like the common cold and the flu) are the most common causes of eustachian tube dysfunction. These conditions can cause inflammation and mucus buildup, leading to blockage. GERD, or chronic acid reflux, can also cause ETD.
Sinus or ear infections, allergies and other respiratory viruses — all of which can cause swelling and fluid in the ear — are common causes of Eustachian tube dysfunction.
Ear infections are very common and can be caused by many things, including sinus infections, excess mucus, allergies, and even smoking. Clogged ears from a mild ear infection usually last one or two weeks. If the problems are in the inner ear, this could last longer.
Call your ENT doctor if you experience severe symptoms with clogged ears, or if symptoms persist for more than two weeks.
Sudden severe hearing loss and deafness in one ear are both common symptoms of ear stroke. Ear stroke is also known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In as short as three days, the patients will suddenly lose part or all of their hearing ability.
Your GP or practice nurse will look inside your ears to check if they're blocked and might carry out some simple hearing tests. They may suggest using eardrops for a bit longer, or they may carry out a minor procedure called ear irrigation (previously syringing) to clean out your ear canal.
Muffled Hearing in One Ear
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.
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.
If you have earwax buildup, certain ear drops can soften and loosen your earwax for easier removal. There are three types of softening drops for earwax: water-based, non-water-based and oil-based. If you have impacted earwax, a healthcare provider may recommend ear drops containing: Carbamide peroxide.
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.
To do this, just gently massage the outside of the ear using circular movements. That way, the impaction will soften, which can help the earwax drain more easily. Once you've finished making these circular movements, pull your ear slightly backwards, from the lobe to the top of the auricle.
Soften and loosen the earwax with warm mineral oil. You also can try hydrogen peroxide mixed with an equal amount of room temperature water. Place 2 drops of the fluid, warmed to body temperature, in the ear two times a day for up to 5 days.
In some situations, the ears can feel blocked or clogged (it's staggering what anxiety can do). Dizziness: Persistent anxiety can sometimes cause dizziness, which is a condition that could also be related to the ears.