Can you over equalise?

[Zissou]

.. maybe not an accurate question medically but when equalising, my left ear clears first with familiar popping effect. However, my right ear seems a little stubborn and takes longer to pop. As I keep trying to equalise, the pressure remains on the left ear which leads me to think that I'm over pressurising the left.

I ask because its been 5 days now since my last dive and my hearing is still muffled. When I was flying home, it felt like bubbles of air were being released in a stream in both ears (just for a few seconds) ie multiple poppings . Just after this it felt like my hearing had cleared but it has since come back slightly muffled.

If I put my finger to my ear and push lightly for a few seconds i.e increasing the outer pressure, then my hearing clears for a few seconds before returning to muffled. Have I damaged /stretched /stressed some part of the inner ear.

It does feel like there is some very slight liquid movement in there but not the same as post swimming water. ie the water that you can get out by contorting your body into strange postions in an effort to find the best angle to drain the water out. So using vinegar alcohol mix doesn't sound like the solution. ( BTW.. I assume that medical alcohol is required and not a shot of vodka?)

Is it possibly just an inner ear infection?

Sorry for posting another ear question but I searched a few and couldn't find what would appear to be the same problem.

Tim

PS HI everyone. new to the board and hopefully will get more dives in and become more involved as time goes on.... although it's snowbaording season now ;-)

 

[timle]

Absolutely - If you put too much pressure while equalizing you probably have some middle ear barotrauma. You should consult a doctor - especially ENT familar with scuba diving injuries. If you have irritated the tissue in there - it could easily get infected.

Middle ear barotrauma frequently feels like having fluid in the outer ear but you don't.

 

[OceanObsessed]

You can easily over equalize with the valsalva technique. Try using the Frenzel technuique using your tongue as a piston. Using the "tounge as a piston" gives me fine tune control over the amount of pressure that I put on my ears during equalization.
www.liquivision.ca/frenzel.doc

I would definitely see a Dr. as timle suggested. Many years ago I was freediving with a friend and he was having equalization problems with one of his ears. It was only 20 feet of water so he kept diving anyway because he seemed to be able to force equalization at depth. He ended up damaging his ear and heard a constant ringing is his ear for many years after that. He eventually lost most of his hearing in that ear. Ever since then I have been extremely careful and conservative when it comes to equalization. I'm not trying to scare you but just providing an example that demonstrates how serious I would take equalization issues.

Like yours, my right ear is also tempermental. I can equalize my left ear hands-free 99% of the time. On a good day I can equalize my right ear hands-free but I have to descend very slowly to get my right ear to cooperate. I usually just pinch my nose so that I can descend quickly.

 

[Pearldiver07]

Yes you can over-equalize. The only student I've had that was injured was because of this.

I teach all of my students that you never COMPLETELY close off the nose when doing the valsalva maneuver. If excess air isn't blowing past, lax up a bit. It helps in preventing this problem.

If you're hearing is still muffled, I would imagine that you've at least irritated the ear membrane significantly. Get it checked, and don't dive again till you've been cleared by an ENT that your ears are clear. If you think it's bad now, you should see what happens if you try to push it while it is already injured. My fiance' is still trying to recover from a July dive where she tried to "push" past this.

Oh, the shame!! :no (for her, not me!!)

 

[Zissou]

Cheers for the responses. You'll be glad to hear ( no pun intended) that it has cleared up. Not quite 100% yet but still improving.
The membrane appeared inflammed and I was told that it would settle down over the next couple of weeks.


I'll check out these other methods before diving again as I don't want to be damaging my ears... and I certainly don't want to stop diving.

Thanks again

Tim

 

[knotical]

You’ll never over-equalize with passive techniques like yawning, swallowing, jaw-thrust, etc. If you learn such techniques, you should be able to prevent recurrence of your problem.

And remember to equalize early and often.

 

[Arizona]

Remember not to equalize during ascent!

 

[knotical]

Passive equalizing during ascent is fine, and is invaluable to those who are subject to alternobaric vertigo.

 

[pipedope]

For more info on your ears and diving go to;

Doc's Diving Medicine Home Page

Watch the video;

Streaming Video Lecture
"The Diver's Ear - Under Pressure"

It is fantastic with clear explanation and lots of pictures.
Also several ways to equalize.

Once your ears are cleared up you can practice gently pressurizing your ears several times a day, each day. With practice it gets easier and faster as the muscles learn what to and everything adjusts to doing it.