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Diagnosis/Cure for ear problems while landing? |
Travel Info I have serious ear pains when I am on an aircraft and it is landing. My ears get clogged and then seem to explode. I need a cure or diagnosis of this problem, and I am curious if there is any medication available. I know that this is not a very rare problem, because even the flight attendants have useful tips. I know a few tricks, such as drink, swallow, yawn, chew gum, etc., but they don't work every time. Thank you. -Phil PS-This is a more serious problem, and I even have this problem on the large, new planes, not the old small ones that have pressurization problems. Travel Tips The issue is simple -- there is air on both sides of your ear and more specifically the ear drum (the timpanic membrane). The outside of the drum is whatever the ambient pressure is. Even in a large plane, they only pressurize it so that the inside air equals about 6,000 to 8,000 feet elevation. This means that as you ascent, your ears hurt as the membrane is forced outwards (pressure inside is at sea level, pressure outside is 7,000 ft). If your ears equalize, there is no more pain. Until the descent when the reverse happens -- you equalized the inside to 7,000 and now the outside is at sea level. To see this in action, the best way is to drink a half a bottle of water )in a plastic bottle -- like Evian) at crusing height. Put the cap on tightly. Notice how the bottle looks partly crushed when you land. It does hurt and, given a large enough pressure differential, the membrane can rupture. A similar phenomenen is why scuba divers need to equalize their ears. Try it -- go down about 12 feet in a pool and odds are you will feel some pain. So, the goal is to equalize the pressure. There are lots of causes -- congestion, inflammation of the area or even abnormally small estuchian tubes. It is best to see an ENT doc to see what your particular issues are and what the best treatment approach might be. One major goal when flying: try and keep them equalized -- if you are feeling discomfort it is harder to equalize than when you are not. Yawning is great (do it early and do it often) and the others you mentioned are good as well. If you have a cold, you can try a decongestant (just be aware of the risks -- it wearing off partway through, the rebound effect, etc.) For the downward descent, there are several techniques that divers use. See http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayeven... and http://www.scuba-doc.com/entprobs.html... You will want to consult with an ENT before trying a few as they can cause their own problems if nor done correctly . Good luck! Others Air pressure is the cause, yawning is the cure. |
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