equalizing ears

[The Chairman]

The Frenzel Maneuver for Equalizing Ears

Why…

The Frenzel Maneuver is easier and more efficient than the Valsalva maneuver for equalizing your ears, and so it is especially useful if you are having problems in that area.

The Frenzel Maneuver will…
1) Require the diver to compress less air to perform. (It’s easier and safer)
2) Require less time than the Valsalva Maneuver.
3) Activate the muscles which open the eustachian tubes.
4) Reduce the risk of rupturing your inner window of the ear.

Steps for the Frenzel Maneuver.
1) Tilt your head back slightly.
2) Pinch your nostrils shut.
3) Close your glottis (like you are about to lift something heavy).
4) Put the tip of your tongue on your forward palate.
5) Thrust the back of your tongue upwards like a piston. (Several times if needed). This is almost like making a "K" sound.

 

[Zept]

NetDoc,

1) What be a glottis?
2) Where be it?
3) How do I know whether it be open or closed?

When I lift something heavy, I concentrate on using my legs and not my back. No spare brain power to think about my throat.

Yours in mystification,


Zept

 

[The Chairman]

The glottis is the opening in your larynx (voice box). When you lift something heavy you usually hold your breath, but not by using your mouth... you usually close your glottis. It is also closed as a reaction to water trying to enter your lungs. The english use it quite a bit when they speak as well , and it is called a glottal stop. They will sometimes say "ello" instead of "hello". I hope this helps!

 

[Zept]

NetDoc, that helps. I can crack my easy ear following your instructions, but then I can crack that one by doing just about anything -- stretching or wiggling my jaw will do it. When I'm in the water, swallowing still seems to work best.

Zept

 

[TheDivingBear]

Originally posted by Big James
Like others have said, equalize before you descend. A method that I use makes it so easy for me, that I do not even have to think about equalizing. I simply exhale into my mask on every breath. This requires no thought or effort on my part. Just amke sure that you have some good mask defog, and are not worried about a slight leak in your mask seal.

I'm still doing my OW, but I learned that works for me sometimes. I think it might look a little silly, but my mask is always clear and my ears always equalized.

 

[chrispete]

saw someone mention this earlier in the thread - I was in my first pool session and during "play time" another diver sank like a rock on top of me, pushing me from probably 4 feet or so to the bottom in a matter of seconds my right ear eq'd on it's own (or maybe me looking around trying to figure out what was going on did it), but my left ear started screaming - I didn't think and eq'd (pinched nose, blow) and it made a load screeching sound - my ear was sore for several days afterward....

I can now say from the school of hard knocks, eq early and often, and _don't_ try to eq if you already feel the pain!

 

[scubadiver89]

Hi,
I am almost done with my ow course. today we went to a lake wich it took me about a half an hour to get down about 15 feet. So that was a pain in the ass(big time). Water on we stayed at the top.(Dive table rules) we went back out and I had the same problem. So I got down about 15 feet again and was about to practice emergancy swimming acsents. So i equlized again, as I did that I think I felt water go way down ino my ear(hurt lik freaken hell and ears didnt even pop so worthless) I did a controled ascent and threw my mask off and jammed on my inflator button. (because of all the pain) I went back to land and tried to equilize but when i did it didnt feel like any pressure was going to my right ear to pop it and all going to left. But my left ear sounded and felt lik air is going from inside my head out trough my ear(literally, no joke) so ya I think I have a major problem. As im writting this there is a thunderstorm in the distance with thunder not loud at all(to my parents). To me it sounds prtty darn loud so I know something is wrong. I cancelled the open water dive (tampa bay) for tomarrow. And have an emergancy appointment monday for the doctor. I had tubes in my ears a few years ago from to many ear infections. Thank you for reading this and please tell me something avout this problem because it hurts extremlly bad and i may never get to go diving again so..... Thank you Austin

 

[goesman]

Hi i just did two of my open water dives yesterday. My greatest depth was 22ft. I really had a hard time getting my ears to clear out on the second dive. almost drove me to a state of frustration. The first dive was kind of hard but i got the job done clearing my ears. The second dive was a real pain, my instructor droped us down to a 20ft platform. Since i had some troubles the fisrt dive he told me take take my time and if it took me 5 minutes to get down that it would be ok. That dive took me up to a 17ft and around before surfacing. When i got back to shore my ears felt plum full of water and every thing sounded like i had ear plugs in. That lasted all day and is still some what like that now. I really pay no concern to it due to my ears feeling like that the day after i did my very first 8ft pool dive. I had some conjestion problems earlier in the week but it seemed to be cleared up or i wouldnt of even attempted to dive. I guess i had some left over crap in my tubes still that cased me this problem. The first time i got in the pool i tried the whole pinch your nose and blow thing but it really didnt work. I found out the second time in the pool the if i pinched my nose and swallowed did the trick every time. I called my instructor today and told him that i couldnt dive today so he agreed with me that if i give it a coule of weeks every thing should be good. I guess i am just a newby going through the usual paces when it comes to figuring things out. Theres no way im going to let this stop me, i have waited to many years to be albe to do this.

Thanks.

 

[Finnatic]

I don't dive regularly, so as soon as I know that I'll be diving I'll start exercising my ears. Looks weird, but I do this in the privacy of my home I'll tug on the earlobes in a circular motion, do swallows and valsalvas, and also the pinch and blow gently several times a day or whenever I think of it. When I do this, I find that on dive day all I have to do to equalize is exhale through my nose into my mask. My husband thinks this is hilarious, but hey it works!

 

[texdiveguy]

Hi folks,,,,great thread for us NEWBIES,,,,glad I am not the only one with these questions!!!

I too completed my O/W.....no problems in the 10ft. deep pool.....first 3 o/w dives really were not a problem,,,,did ok on the equalizing I think (maybe a bit late on some).....the next day we did our 4th dive, well I seemed to have gotten a bit of sinus congrestion over night (is this common??),,,also a bit harder to equalize on the second days dive (is this common??),,and when I equalize I hear little popping and bubbling sounds you could say (?). A few times once I equalized my ears it sounded like someone turned the volume up on the underworld??? Any comments and suggestions would be great--thanks. AK