Does anyone else find that the traditional valsalva maneuver doesn't work at all?

[laidbackdood]

Interesting.....i have had real trouble with all my dives with the basic method described above......i get trouble on the plane too but use ear planes now and put my headphones on full blast on the way up and down and now its fine....I have quite often landed...deaf in one ear.........back to the diving........I am ok often on the first dive....just gently blow and pop but if i come up at all ....i hear all sorts of sqelching going on...like a soggy boot..........on my 2nd dive recently ....i had more trouble and could clear one ear ok but the left one(the one that gave me **** on the plane 3 days before) .....i also had water coming in my mask.......it became more difficult to pop my ears....so i ended up pushing too hard i think...I also think i was pushing sea water up my nose.......when i sufaced and took of my mask ...my nose was full of snot and a little blood....i believe from my sinuses.................i had similar in Fiji years ago and develpoed an evil sinus infection..........once at Great barrier my ear was blocked for days..........................i Did 2 dives at great barrier as described above and i stopped when i had that blood comming.......took about 3 to 5 days for me to feel ok at home.......................i think next time .......I will clear ears before i go in the water......then blow gentle for no more than 2 seconds at a time and swallow...see how it goes.........my mrs just swallows thats all and has no issue at all....i love diving but ear pain and blocked ears after are a pain in the arse....Thanks for posting this.........i have learnt quite a bit more since i have looked into it...................I asked in my local dive shop(australia) but they were not keen to give any advice because i wasnt doing a course with them(i could tell).

 

[g1138]

Do you open your throat like a yawn when you do the Valsalva?

Common mistake is to constrict your throat and tongue block the back; basically mimicking like you're blowing your nose. This blocks your Eustachian tubes and in some cases your throat and/or tonsils completely shunts the opening.
Most people overcompensate for this by blowing harder and forcing air through the restriction. Top reason why some new diver's ears hurt even though they equalize early and often. They're simply making it harder on themselves and using extreme force to equalize.

 

[TMHeimer]

such as, doc? :blinking:

Even sitting here now, I can pop my ears at will...but VM doesn't do much of anything.

Same here. The only time I do anything other than equalizing internally (without any extra motions like moving jaw, etc.) is when I rocket down an anchor line--I do have to swallow if going really fast. I don't think the Valsalva works for me, but I may not be doing it exactly right, and don't need it anyway.

 

[Rilelen]

Same here - could never get Valsalva to work, in scuba or elsewhere. I looked up other methods online after my first pool session when I was getting certified, and found that the Toynbee and Lowrey (basically anything involving swallowing) worked great for me. It's frustrating that this isn't universally taught - in my certification class, I specifically asked if there were other methods (before going online) and was told that there weren't (!).

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have no problem pinching the nose and blowing gently. But that one can be dangerous as some people really blow hard and can cause some serious damage. That's the one we learned in scuba class, but after a day of diving it could make my ears ring and they would plug up and hurt sometimes taking hours to clear up.

I prefer to do the close mouthed yawn now (Frenzel technique?), just like I do when I'm driving up to elevation and need to clear my ears. I jut my lower jaw forward and use muscles inside my head behind my ears to open the tube. I can descend and do a smooth integrated equalization the whole way down and not have to do it in increments. A freediver actually taught me how to do it. They do some very fast descents and that's how they have to do it.
I don't have any problems anymore with head full of water feeling or plugged and ringing ears.

 

[TMHeimer]

Jaw moving (up & down or sideways), swallowing, yawning--3 ways to arrive at that internal crackling sound which is equalizing. I and others on SB have been able to easily make that sound happen without any other movements. I wonder if more people can do this but use a "movement" method because they were taught it, or just because it works and they're used to it? Or is it not possible for these people to do it without the movements? I've assisted about 15 instructors and have yet to hear anyone mention to students that it may be possible to equalize without extra movement. I know from my music courses that all the tubes, holes, sinuses in the head vary a lot from one person to the next--that is why some people have great singing voices, others not. Other than just doing it wrong, that may be why some can't seem to do Valsalva? Maybe an ENT diver would have some input.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Jaw moving (up & down or sideways), swallowing, yawning--3 ways to arrive at that internal crackling sound which is equalizing. I and others on SB have been able to easily make that sound happen without any other movements. I wonder if more people can do this but use a "movement" method because they were taught it, or just because it works and they're used to it? Or is it not possible for these people to do it without the movements? I've assisted about 15 instructors and have yet to hear anyone mention to students that it may be possible to equalize without extra movement. I know from my music courses that all the tubes, holes, sinuses in the head vary a lot from one person to the next--that is why some people have great singing voices, others not. Other than just doing it wrong, that may be why some can't seem to do Valsalva? Maybe an ENT diver would have some input.

It might be why some people sound like they are singing through their noses and others can sing without the nasally honking sound. But also a great singer has to be able to carry a tune...unless you're Bob Dylan, then I guess you don't.

 

[cpetitclerc]

I was curious. Are equalizing while descending underwater using the Valsalva method or trying it when you are at the surface? I am trying these methods currently after a dive to clear crackling/popping sounds in my left ear. Ears & Diving: Equalize the Right Way

 

[BlueTrin]

I find the Vasalva works best for me.

I probably need to practice to be more proficient with the other methods.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Valsalva works perfectly for me but I don't need to use it...... I just press my tongue to the roof of my mouth and swallow...

My guess is that folks who are unable to clear using the Valsalva maneuver may not be performing it correctly.