Someone please define "congested"

[glbtrekker]

Please read this webpage on Dr. Kay's website. It explains the relevant ear anatomy. Inflammation in the nose and/or sinuses does not necessarily affect one's ability to equalize the ears. Equalization occurs through the membranous Eustachian tubes which connect the middle ear to the nasophraynx. These tubes are normally closed and must be opened (by yawning, jaw thrust, chewing, etc.) in order to equalize the air pressure in the two spaces. It's possible that inflammation in the soft tissues of the nasopharynx (surrounding a portion of the tubes or at the mouth of the tubes) can obstruct the Eustachian tubes or make it more challenging to open them.

People will have different anatomy that make the patency of the Eustachian tubes highly variable. This leads to some people being able to equalize more quickly/efficiently than others. As explained previously, inflammation in the nasopharynx due to allergies can hinder ear equalization.

Please read the webpage that I linked to. Dr. Kay describes several ear equalization techniques (Valsalva, Frenzel, Toynbee, Edmonds, BTV, Roydhouse, Lowry, Twitch). Try them all and see what works best for you. Bear in mind that it might be wise to practice these techniques while using a mouthpiece, as this simulates what it would be like to equalize during a dive.

Hope this helps...

Thanks for the detail in your posts. I appreciate the advice and am reading the linked website now.

 

[glbtrekker]

Okay, I just watched the entire video...very informative. I did come to realize that I was blowing to softly and slowly to clear my ears...a quick burst of air seems to open them immediately (at least topside). If performed slowly, the pressure just builds, but there is no release. I think scuba material needs to more carefully define "blow gently."

 

[lamont]

Okay, I just watched the entire video...very informative. I did come to realize that I was blowing to softly and slowly to clear my ears...a quick burst of air seems to open them immediately (at least topside). If performed slowly, the pressure just builds, but there is no release. I think scuba material needs to more carefully define "blow gently."

The problem is that if you don't equalize properly and your ears are already squeezed and you hammer on them, then you can damage your ears. So, most beginning scuba instruction wants you to blow gently on your ears so that you don't damage them if they're already squeezed. But if you don't blow hard enough to clear your ears as you descend, then you can get significant squeeze on them which can lead to them getting damaged. Its a bit of a catch-22 in trying to describe to a new diver how to clear their ears correctly.

But *IF* your ears are already nearly equalized then you can clear your ears pretty aggressively without injuring them. As you descend you should be doing this early and often. If you get behind and you start feeling quite a bit of pressure and/or pain, you need to *ascend* rather than blowing harder.

And what always happens to new scuba divers is that they fail to keep ahead of the squeeze, wait until there is significant pressure or pain and then clear aggressively -- which will damage the inner ear. For a few days afterwards it'll feel "squishy" like there's "water in the ear" which will clear up with some ibuprofen.

Most of what you're describing so far I think is just ear anxiety and you probably don't need to see an ENT yet. If you do damage your middle ear a little bit when you start out you should also recognize that is pretty typical when starting diving and you don't need to be overly concerned about (you don't want to keep on doing that, obviously, but it isn't abnormal to have that happen a few times).

 

[vladimir]

Okay, I just watched the entire video...very informative. I did come to realize that I was blowing to softly and slowly to clear my ears...a quick burst of air seems to open them immediately (at least topside). If performed slowly, the pressure just builds, but there is no release. I think scuba material needs to more carefully define "blow gently."

Yes, it is a challenge to describe. The good news is that once you have experienced proper equalization, the feedback will become familiar to you and the procedure consequently simpler. If you don't get the crackling, or squeaking, or whatever it is your ears do, then you'll know that you need to arrest your descent until you do.