Ear clearing after multiple dives

[twinkles]

I am a new diver—90 dives since July. I just got back from a week in Bonaire. Did 26 dives. I can usually clear my ears by simply flexing the muscle that makes your ears “crinkle.” But as the week wore on, particularly on the last couple of dives on Thursday and Friday, it became harder to clear my ears. I had to use the Valsalva maneuver, which also became progressively more difficult. Now I am home and my left ear is tender—feels like it is bruised. Any one else have this kind of experience.

 

[charlesml3]

Yea, I have the same problem after diving multiple days in a row. I find that if I make an effort early in the week to clear more often on the way down, it doesn't seem so sore when I get home.

You'll be fine. The tenderness will go away in a couple of days.

-Charles

 

[caymaniac]

After being on a liveaboard for a week or when we've been at a land based dive resort for a week or more, everyones ears seem to get what we call "spongey". Sometimes latter in the week (usually after 3 days ) we will take sudafed or like meds to help our ears open, this seems to help tremendously. Each trip can be different as I've been on dive trips that I never used any meds and on others when we start and finish with meds.

 

[TSandM]

I have the same problem, and I'm pretty sure it's cumulative barotrauma. Most of us clear our ears when we feel the sensation of pressure, and that's a little too late. Over multiple days of multiple dives, the damage just builds up, and you end up with some swelling that makes equalization progressively more difficult. The Sudafed can help, but one should be aware that preventing the problem is far better than treating it.

 

[Blackwood]

It's common. I have to descend slower and slower throughout the day.

 

[Rcalebaugh]

Have you tried Pro Plugs. They allow you to vent but keep the water out of your ears. Used them on several trips with 20+ dives and had no ear problems.

Doc's Proplugs: The Doctor's Choice for Ear Protection

 

[CoyKoi]

After multiple-day diving my ears get waterlogged, too. What ever you do, do not put any object into your ears in an attempt to wick out the water, this will only lead to otitis externa (outer ear infection or "swimmer's ear" -- very painful). As the tissues inside the outer ear -- the part exposed to sea water on the outside of your eardrum -- become saturated with water they get very soft and spongy. Think of how soft and "pruny" your fingertips get after a dive. This sets up a perfect breeding habitat for infection-causing bacteria. My ENT doc recommended putting a few drops of a half 'n' half mixture of 5% acetic acid (vinegar) in 60% ethyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol suffices) in to my ears after each dive and let it sit there for a few minutes before letting it drain out. This helps restore the proper PH level to the waterlogged skin inside the ear and helps prevent nasty bacteria from taking up residence. Do not use rubbing alcohol alone. It will dry out the ears, but disturbs the natural PH balance in the ear and could accelerate infection.

To get rid of the waterlogged feeling, use a hairdryer on the lowest setting and hold it about 12" away from your ear for a few minutes. It also helps my ears to naturally drain off excess water by sleeping on my back, head elevated with a couple of pillows.

Be sure to keep super hydrated by drinking copious amounts of water and clear juices. Never force the valsalva and ascend/descend very slowly. If you're goint to take Sudafed, choose the non-drying, non-drowsy Sudafed, not the little red Sudafed pills. Drying out your sinuses and ears too much is as bad or worse than waterlogged ears/sinuses.

If the bruised or tender feelings don't go away in a day or two, go see an ENT and have him/her examine you for otitis externa or other barotrauma.

Check the DAN website for advice on ear problems from diving.

Good luck and dive safe!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

My husband has found that as the week goes on he gets a little chilled even at warm water dive destinations. The inability to clear his ears often accompanies this chilling. Whether it's because the muscles around the eustacian tube are a little more "tense" because he's cold or something else we don't know. He will often be able to clear at the beginning of a dive but if we come up a few feet to go over a high spot in a reef late in a dive he often can't clear if we start to descend again. The only trend in both scenarios is he's a little chilled.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ClayJar]

DocVikingo wrote an updated article on preventing "swimmer's ear" for DAN's Alert Diver magazine that was published in the March/April 2007 issue. It doesn't show up in the searches on DAN's site (they don't put everything online), but he has it available on his site:

Preventing Swimmer's Ear​

It's an excellent read, and it's more up to date than what I'd previously found by searching DAN's web site.

 

[DPP Santa Cruz]

Just to re-enforce what rcalebaugh mentioned earlier about the Doc's Proplugs. They do help prevent otitis, exostosis, and ruptured eardrums. They also do help you equalize.

I wanted to share this exciting footage that we just received from our people in Italy. The video shows underwater footage taken by the medical staff at a hospital in the island of Sassari, Italy. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

Vid www.proplugs.com/media/plugsinaction.mpg
document www.proplugs.com/media/SIMSICongress2006.doc